The Black Iris
by awanbiru
Summary: Zero had to deal with a stalker problem, a certain Kuran Kaname, a complicated mission and a new mysterious partner. A sequel to The Midori Incident. AU.
1. Chapter 1 : The Presence

**A/N:** This story is the sequel to The Midori Incident. I've reuploaded this chapter (22nd March 2011). You'll be reading the Beta version of Chapter 1. **Thank you Eli (K8BNimble)!** *bows* If it wasn't for her, your eyes would bleed by the time you finish. ^^ I need a Beta because my English is PATHETIC. ;p I tried my best. But suffer no more.. Thank you x100000 Eli! I luv you. xoxo

Disclaimer : I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters.

Pairing : Zero/Kaname

**The Black Iris**

Chapter 1- The Presence 

Takamiya Kaito did not like the cold and had taken full advantage of the large Hunter Association coat by wearing plenty of extra clothing underneath. His feet looked like those of a Frankenstein movie monster. His hood covered a wool hat, all of it tied together so that only his eyes and nose were visible. He looked as if he stood seven feet tall and weighed some 200kg. All he needed to complete the look were bolts through his neck.

To finish it all off, he carried his not-so-favourite field weapon, a heavy 7.62mm abomination of a general purpose machine gun which was suspended horizontally across his waist by its carrying strap. The extra long anti-vampire ammunition belt curled from its breech and over his shoulders. He looked like a troll. He felt a pang of jealousy over a certain sliver haired youth crouching beside him. How on earth did Kiriyu Zero stay sane in this freaking minus 25 degrees Celsius with the lighter garments he wore? _'Maybe an ex-human vampire does__ not get cold,'_ he thought.

Zero had the same kind of coat on as Kaito did, but he only wore the standard Association-issued black turtle neck combat garb and cargoes. He had his gun, the Bloody Rose, in his shoulder holster. Kaito would bet there were some knives stored in those black leather boots too. Zero and his newly discovered obsession with weapons disturbed him. Snow and frost clung and blended in the silver mop of hair on Zero's head.

Kaito watched the younger hunter who was currently sweeping the Hirata grounds for any suspicious activities. Lately, Zero had been a bit jittery. He would jump and literally bristle even at a pin drop of a needle. But Kaito knew that Zero would rather be dead than consult him on whatever was bothering him.

The Hunter Association gave the Level D vampire a lot of missions. The boy attended school and to his prefect duties by day and then finished off his share of the execution list by night. Solo. If anybody asked Kaito of what he thought about the situation, he would, very obligingly, tell them that the poor boy was overworked. Now, here they were, stuck in the middle of nowhere, freezing their nuts off as they attempted to lie inconspicuously in the snow.

Their orders, plain and simple, had come in a few days before.

"_Gather Intel on the Hirata clan. Standard sweep and gather procedure. Report to HQ and utilize standard equipments."_

Kaito smirked as he recalled the term _standard_. He got the standard all right. But how in the blazes did Kiriyu Zero end up with the modified '_standard_' Soviet SVD Dragunov rifle? It was a lightweight, reliable semi-auto rifle and packed a sizable punch when it was needed. It was a sniper grade weapon. The tinkerers back at the association labs had gotten more and more innovative recently. That rifle was the normal one, only equipped with anti-vampire ammunition.

Surely a customized long range anti-vampire weapon was a necessity in this kind of mission but who knows maybe Kiriyu, the gun freak, had finally gotten chummy with the armoury official dude back at HQ and managed to request, and get approval for his particular weapon of choice.

The Dragunov existed long before any of them walked the earth and it was definitely one that was made for expert marksmen. It seemed that Kiriyu wanted some special characteristics that were unavailable in any other service weapons. Kaito agreed that Zero needed one since the pureblood princess cub crush of his got away again after that one nasty kidnapping incident mess. _Oops…Curse his jealous heart._ Kaito had the normal service weapon, only equipped with anti-vampire ammunition. It was a little disappointing for him.

"Zero!" Kaito nudged the other boy who was laying stomach down on a piece of tarp beside him.

Suddenly, the long muzzle of the Bloody Rose was aimed at his head. Zero's eyes were hard as he glared at his companion. Kaito raised his oversized gloved hands in mock defeat.

Zero sighed and returned to his previous position. He holstered the offensive gun back."Sorry, you _surprised _me," he glowered.

"What's your problem? Don't you dare glare at me." Kaito was still trying to jumpstart his heart to beat again.

"You jumped me first," Zero reminded him.

"Don't make me sound like a stalker."

"Are. You. One?" Zero replied in a mocking sing-a-song tone. Kaito nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Now you're really creeping me out." Kaito huffed as he picked at the frost clinging to his eyebrows. Then he sighed, "The Association has been milking you dry, haven't they?"

Zero ignored his question with an impatient snort and muttered, "I can't feel my ass anymore." Then he raised the binoculars to his eyes and asked, "What exactly are looking for?"

"You tell me, kid. Maybe Cross wants to let you play outside and make snow angels with me for a change." The cold did not do Kaito any justice.

Zero rolled his eyes. Kaito resembled an overstuffed lollipop. That outfit must be killing the Kaito on the inside. Zero thought he should snap a picture, blow it up and slap them up all over the academy. That would eradicate Kaito's collection of stupid fan girls. A teacher with a mob of fanatical females made Zero's life as a prefect tiresome.

Yagari used to train them under his wing back in the good old days, alongside his damn bipolar bastard of a brother, Ichiru. It was fun although Ichiru got beaten to pulp by Kaito most of the time thanks to his well known 'fragility.' Zero was the one who ended up paying Kaito back and then had to manage bandaging up Ichiru afterwards.

Zero missed him. For good or bad, Ichiru had still been his brother. It's a loss Zero still felt. Ichiru had gone up to heaven. At least Zero hoped he had. Lately, Zero had been hallucinating about his brother: Ichiru waking up beside him in the morning smiling, Ichiru soothing and whispering his fears away during his bouts of depression, Ichiru caressing his aching heart with his soft assurances of love when he felt none from the world. His dead twin was invisible to everyone but himself. All in all, it was definitely a sign of his impending madness.

A volley of coughs erupted from his companion and snapped Zero out of his thoughts. "The instructions were to stakeout this place for 24 hours. We've done 16 but we got nothing. Are we looking for snow golems? Who the heck are the Hiratas?" Zero shook the white powdery stuff out of his locks and readjusted his rifle on the bipod. He should have worn a hat like Kaito.

Kaito rubbed his fingers through the thick material uselessly. "There's nothing much to go on. Yagari told me that we are watching a certain Hirata. And that's it. Zip. You know how it goes."

"Why? Is he dangerous?" Zero passed a strawberry flavoured cereal energy bar to the older hunter and chomped on his. He would file a complaint later on about the offensively girly choice of flavour to the rations dude._ Pink stuff in the middle of winter? Disgusting_.

"Maybe. The Hirata clan was based in Shanghai until they were all assassinated, save for Hirata Kazuki," Kaito wrinkled his nose at the energy bar. _What did I do wrong? Pink?_ He bit into it and chewed anyway.

"So, Kazuki is the main suspect. Since when did the association get tangled in this vampire justice mess?"

"Since _your_ Kuran Kaname wiped out the old vampire council and left the vampire world in anarchy. Look where it landed you the last time," Kaito emphasised the particular word and stared Zero right in the eyes. The boy had evolved from a potentially dangerous snow kissed Level-D to a murderous snow ghoul.

"What do you mean _mine_?" Zero could tell that his eye had turned a tint of red because Kaito visibly flinched. The elder hunter never got used to Zero's vampire side. He didn't really care especially when Kaito was clearly trying to avoid the Hirata matter. Mentioning Kuran right there and then was enough to annoy him. But why bother? This was the very one sly bastard who had unremorsefully smuggled an innocent human _vermin_ called Yori into a party teeming with predatory vampire serpents_._

Old embers of hate started to glow. The pureblood vampire used him and had turned his pure sweet Yuuki into a bloodsucker. Who cared if she really was his sister? It would only be a matter of time until she became a murderous beast. Just like Kuran and himself. He recanted that last thought. He was nothing like Kuran_. _

Zero stewed over the fact that it was Kuran's blood that pulled him back from the ebb of Level-E insanity. "_I owe him nothing!" _his inner voice screamed._ "Stupid Kaito."_

Zero longed to test the Dragunov on the redhead right now. Maybe he should tell Kaito to break into a slow run.

Kaito whacked the back of his cloth-swathed head with his thickly gloved left hand. The ammunition around his shoulders jangled a bit.

"I was joking," Kaito said dismissively. Provoking Zero wouldn't get him anywhere. He knew his friend too well.

Zero picked up the binoculars again and turned it to the hulking mansion that was nestled in the valley below. The building seemed to be empty. The chimneys weren't emitting smoke. No light seemed to seep through the heavily draped windows. There were no movements, no sounds, no…nothing.. The building was deathly still. There didn't seem to be any activity on the grounds either. No vehicles came or went nor did there seem to be activity in any of the outbuildings. _'What a waste of man hours,'_ Zero thought. He would rather be back in his dingy apartment sleeping. It was Saturday for crying out loud!

It was close to 24 hours of waiting in the snow when Zero smelled something odd. Apparently Kaito did too because the hunter quickly rose up into a crouch and scanned the perimeter. They did not hear anyone approaching them but there had just been a flicker of movement off to their side.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Kaito pointed to the eastern side of the brush where a brown wicker picnic basket was placed under a pine tree. Zero's eyes widened at the sight of a very big pink bow tied around the delicious smelling package. Despite the sheer oddity of it, he heard his stomach rumble.

00000000000

_(The Hunter Association Headquarters)_

"Now, now you two. Calm down. Tell me what happened, please," Kaien Cross motioned for the two young hunters to sit down by his desk. He clasped his hands together and tapped his fingers to his lips. It was a good thing his black rimmed owlish spectacles and ash blond bangs concealed his eyes because, currently, they were sparkling with glee at the sight of the men.

Kaito looked like a bizarre rendition of the 'Little Red Riding Hood' holding an equally strange picnic basket while Zero looked like a cold wet puppy version of the 'Big Bad Wolf'. He knew he himself resembled the grandmother character in some way. Well aware of the boys' considerable lack of humour, he suppressed the urge to burst out in laughter.

Kaito plunked the large picnic basket right in front of Cross, its cute pink bowtie dangling askew. The boy pulled at his hood, hat, scarves and soaking coat. He really did look like a giant cotton ball.

"Hmm.. Something smells nice." Cross sniffed the curious package. "And I'm hungry too. Thanks, children," teased Cross as he examined it.

Zero finished shaking off his snow flecked coat and strode angrily over to Cross. "Is this some kind of a joke? 24 hours in the fucking blizzard just to prank us? Just invite us to dinner for God sake! And a pink ribbon? You're a real psycho!"

Cross raised his eyebrows in surprise. That was quite a long sentence coming out of the usually stoic Kiriyu Zero. Cross knew he was in trouble now. He nervously adjusted the oversized scarf that had started falling off his shoulders.

"I did not do this," chirped Cross. He thought Zero was adorable when he got mad.

"What?" Both boys gaped in disbelief.

"There's a note in here," Cross had lifted the lid and picked up the neatly scribbled white piece of plain paper from among the slices of carrot cake and baked chicken sandwiches. He read it aloud:_"__Come on over for tea next time. Signed_ _Hirata Kazuki."_

Cross looked back up at them. "Kaito-kun, Zero-kun, are you all right?" Both boys looked defeated. Their covers had been blown and they had failed in their mission. Cross knew what was going to happen next and covered his ears as a preventative measure to the oncoming assault.

"It's your fault, Kaito!" Zero lunged at the redhead.

"What the fuck? You're the one that blew it," Kaito shrieked back.

"Shut up! You're the one that stuck out like a sore thumb in those clothes."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes, and we were freezing like idiots out there!"

"You're making a big fuss because of a stupid basket," Kaito argued.

"Well, you should have been more alert out there. The Vampire slipped by you unnoticed." Zero barked back ignoring his own culpability in the events.

Kaito narrowed his eyes. "Touché. You've gone blunt around the edges Kiriyu. You're so rattled lately even a bug can set your bombs off," he hissed. He was trying to peel Zero's fingers off of his collar. The death grip was ripping the seams. '_Does he not know his own strength? Vampire freak.'_

"I am not rattled!" Kaito felt the hands loosen. Zero had lowered his eyes slightly to the floor and backed away.

Cross gently pulled the boys apart and gave each a kind fatherly smile. Kaito sighed and plopped himself in a burgundy wing-backed chair by the fireplace.

Zero let himself sag against a nearby wall and downed a handful of blood-tablets. _'Let Kaito cringe all he wants. At least I'm not chomping on him.'_

The elder man could sense the fatigue and frustration emanating from them. "It's obvious that we have a very cunning vampire in this case. She's played us. The Association will not punish either of you. I'll be sure to explain this to the elders."

Zero snapped at Cross' words. "Wait, _she_? Hirata Kazuki is a _she_?"

Kaito's eyes blazed. "Cross, you did NOT tell me that before!"

"Does it really matter?" The reply was purposely dripped in innocence. How he loved to mess with the kids. It is a crime to be young.

"Why would anyone name a girl 'Kazuki'? Typical bloodsucking retards," Zero grumbled.

0000000000

The mission debriefing was as sour as his wet socks. It was well past 2 in the morning. If hunters had job contracts, he would be sure to state his work hours properly in there. He was also a minor So technically it was against the labour laws.

Hirata Kazuki was a very murky subject. It was strange that the Association even took notice in the vampire clan 'attack' that was dated more than a year ago. It was also just a few months prior to the Kuran Rido incident at Cross Academy. And it had happened in Shanghai of all places.

Why would the hunter be interested in something outside their home turf? Was it just because the rich, antique dealing Hiratas were Japanese vampires? Cross knew something, of course. Why was his adoptive father barely amused with the ridiculous picnic basket retort on Hirata's part?

According to Cross, Hirata was so elusive that no one from the Association had really set their eyes on the suspect, although several stakeouts had been carried out on the residence. They had a number of crime scene pictures and the police reports of the Hirata carnage but it remained an open case.

One of the interesting facts that irritated the Association was that Hirata Kazuki survived the attack unscathed and, still drenched with the blood of her family members, had charmed the human law enforcement to simply send her back to Japan, no questions asked. It was unfortunate that the local police had no idea about the creatures they were dealing with.

The 'attacker' had left no dead bodies behind but had left a lot of blood and plenty of dust in the carpeting. Kazuki maintained her innocence. No charges were ever filed against her so she had yet to make it on the hunter's execution list because of the lack of evidence and witnesses. Still, Hirata Kazuki was classified as potentially dangerous by the Association.

Zero peeled off his socks after discarding his soggy boots in a corner when he arrived at his apartment. A couple of cockroaches skittered away to the nearby pieces of mouldy furniture moments before the flying boots could squash them. He chose to live with the disgusting cockroaches so he did not have to deal with either the hyper and overly saccharine sweet Cross or the delectable human students who could become his next meal. His bloodlust had been getting worse. If not for his iron-clad will and self-control, he would have chomped on a few of them by now.

He needed a shower desperately. It felt like there was a week's worth of dirt and grime covering his body. He noticed the chilly air in the room and realized the heating system had broken down again. A cold shower did not sound appealing. Instead, he stripped down to his pants and threw himself on the bed after tossing the soiled clothes in the corner. Eyeing the pile, he realized he would have to do the laundry the next day. Oddly, he missed Yuuki nagging him non-stop about it back in the days. The all-too-gentle-but-annoying Yuuki. Zero sighed. That Yuuki had died. '_You must be laughing at me now right, Ichiru?'_

Arms by his sides, long legs sprawled on the thin mattress, Zero shivered in the cold air. He considered getting up for a blanket, but his muscles were like jelly and his brain was about to liquefy and seep through his ears. Zero was cold but weariness won the battle.

Closing his bloodshot eyes, he let out a groan. The non-stop hunts and mission alternating with school had slowly taken a toll on him. Despite his lithe, well-built frame, he tired easily these days. Not eating right was one of the causes. His creepy stalker problem did not help either. Kaito was right. The Hunter Association was stretching him thin. The blood tablets he downed frequently no longer quenched his thirst. He was exhausted. He fell asleep within minutes.

Zero was abruptly awakened some hours later by a presence in his room. There was an unmistakably familiar aura near him. Both his hunter and vampire senses were screaming bloody murder. Not good.

It was like the air in the room had been compressed. His eardrums were hurting. The invisible tentacles were slowly wrapping their sinewy grip around Zero's soul. It nauseated him. He was afraid but Kiriyu Zero was no coward. '_Not again,_' he thought as he fought back his fear.

_-Flashback-_

"_Just die then," Zero half growled, half whispered as he emptied two bullets into the Level E. The level E was his third kill that night, the eleventh for the week. Pretty impressive considering it was only Wednesday. Not that he was counting or anything. It's not like he was aiming to crush out every other hunter in the area and earn the 'best employee of the month' spot. _

_The dust scattered in the wind while the Bloody Rose was still smoking. He felt that presence appear again in the decaying alley. The temperature suddenly dropped which caused his skin to crawl. Rodents skittered out of their hiding places to flee the scene. Not good. But hell, the prickling feeling behind his neck and the sudden pitting of his stomach caused by the presence definitely annoyed him. It was a feeling Kiriyu Zero was all too familiar with. _

"_Come out and show yourself, coward!" he hollered as he tried his best to control his ragged breathing. The atmosphere of that damp, putrid alley had suddenly become much heavier. He could sense neither human nor vampire in the proximity. However, the presence was thick and constricting. It was like a suffocating serpent that slithered around his throat, choking the breath from him. He clawed his tattooed neck with his sharp fingernails trying to catch his breath. _

_Crap! That was a big mistake. He might as well have lit a beacon that flashed, 'Come on, vamps. Eat me!' He clamped down on the jagged tears on his neck and felt blood oozing through his long fingers. _

_The presence intensified as if it was drawing closer. Zero readied his finger on the Bloody Rose's trigger as he felt the dark tendrils of fear coil tighter around his core. Yes, Kiriyu Zero was afraid. But he was also bristling in anger. A faint sheen of cold sweat glistened on his skin. He swore he could even smell his own fear. His weakness repulsed him then and it repulsed him now._

_END FLASHBACK. _

"Sweet child, you're such a tease," a barely audible voice whispered. Zero, though, heard every word with his enhanced vampiric senses. The voice broke him from his reverie and brought him back to the present.

There was a shift in the sinister aura it was emitting. It closed tighter around him. Zero gritted his teeth. Now he was sure he was dealing with a vampire, albeit not a normal one. He did not have the faintest clue of what kind of a twisted bloodsucker he had on his ass. He needed more information. "You bet I am. It's our twentieth date, my love." Zero scanned the surroundings. Nothing. He pushed further. "We haven't even held hands, you cold bastard! You're too damn slow for my liking." He hoped some vulgarity could cause a reaction. "You won't get into my pants any faster by stalking me!"

He felt its eyes boring into him. It was indeed the twentieth time Zero had encountered this particular entity. Whatever it was, it began more than a month ago, right in the middle of a hunt. This was a few weeks after the Kuran's ball where both a hunter and a vampire had been killed. The Association had been dismayed at the loss of one of their very best members. In a twisted plot, the hunter had been manipulated into assassinating one of the pureblood guests. It almost caused a complete rift between the Hunter Association and the Vampires .

Zero thought he contracted his infuriating demonic virus from that time. He also must have had his immunity kicked up a notch recently because this virus had once scared the daylights out of him but now it just annoyed him.

Sometimes, Zero wished it had been Kuran who was turned to dust that night. Unfortunately, in his experience, power hungry charismatic villains like Kuran tended to last until the very end to keep the plot appealing. It certainly felt that way at times. And now he had another one of those villains stalking him.

_Tinkle. _He heard the tinny chime of a bell.

'_That's it, show yourself,'_ he thought as he tried to figure out where the noise came from.

Zero spun around. A faint whiff of sweet cherry blossoms wafted through the room. His mind froze. "No," he murmured in disbelief.

His pupils dilated and he pulled back his lips and extended his fangs. He knew that smell. He knew that sound. Memories of a cold, blood drenched, Spring flashed through his head. Visions of a barefoot fiend clad in an iridescent kimono glowing bright against the curtain of night burned in his memory. Her sorrowful gaze had been a stark contrast to the deadly fangs that had plunged him into his dreadful fate. '_It can't be,' _he thought.

"No, you're dead!" he yelled furiously. His hand clutched at his tattooed neck even harder squeezing the red liquid from the broken skin.

"Poor child," it chuckled. Then the presence dissolved into the starless night.

'_God.'_ Zero sank to his knees in despair. Palms up, pushed hard into his temples. He screamed.

* * *

**A/N- **How was it? ^^ Eli had gone through a lot of pain for this. I hope she won't give up on me. :) To those who had reviewed, thank you. Your words had motivated me to write more (despite of my grammatical blunders). Watch out for the other Beta chapters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer :** I do not own Vampire Knight esp the characters.

**Summary/AN :** A sequel to "The Midori Incident". But currently, Midori is running on the 10th chapter. Releasing earlier won't change the other fic's flow though. ^3^ And warning.. this is a fic written by a non-native English speaker. Please try to understand the sporadically weird sentences (if there's any.. coz I don't know if they're wierd.. coz they sounds fine to me).

**The Black Iris**

Chapter 2

He shakily reached for the Bloody Rose under his pillow and clicked the safety off. How he wished he still has the Dragunov rifle. He had the feeling that for whatever was impending, he would need the extra firepower.

"This game had gotten a bit boring," Zero scanned the room as he let his voice into a taunting drawl.

_Nothing. _

Another wall of threatening force washed over him. He could smell fresh moisture. Somebody had been treading out in the snow. _Where the hell is Ichiru when he's needed?_ Zero could really use an ally at the moment, imaginary or not.

"Talk to me, NOW," his senses is telling him to bolt for the door but Zero kept his grounds. Slowly, he stood up by the bed, gun ready. Everything in the room was exactly as they were before. A bit of light shone through the uncovered windows cascading eerie shadows in the confines of his small living space. Foul smelling insects scattered away from the scene. His cockroach _friends_ had fled. Those traitorous good for nothing critters are going to pay later. He'll squash them into roach pancakes. Now he was truly alone. However, Zero was positive the _presence_ was in there somewhere. It must be waiting for him to show any weakness_. Evil bastard._

His head felt like it was splitting in half from the unidentified fiend's pressure. Zero caught his reflection in the glass window. Much to his discontent, he looked slightly petrified and his hands were quivering in anticipation. Every hair on his body stood and his skin was breaking out in cold sweat. He was going into tunnel-vision and it was not going to be any help. _What the hell is WRONG with you! Focus, Kiriyu!_

Then suddenly, a translucent veil shrouded his conscience. _What the hell!_ He screamed in his mind as images of him being gored by and invisible assailant flashed. His stomach was ripped open and he could see his innards on the floor. Blood oozed on the dented floorboards. His tainted, filthy, crimson blood carved rivers of red between the wood grooves. He could smell it as it amplified his distress. He could fell his rib bones trough the horrendous wound as he pressed down on it. The pain felt intensely real and skewered deep into his core. The creature was feeding him the illusion. Fangs lengthened and pricked his lower lip. His violet eyes scorched red. He could feel them bugging out in his skull.

_This is not REAL! Wake up Kiriyu! Ichiru, stop laughing! Shut up, you fucking retard!_

Zero must had dropped his gun. He heard the metallic thud on the wooden floor. His vision was all messed up. It was alternating between the dark room and the bizarre bloody mirage. He sagged to his knees. Palms flat on the floor. He could not lift up his bowed head.

A shadow moved. _No, no, no! Get up you idiot. You're fucked up and gonna be dead. Dead!_

Then realization hit him hard, pissing him off because it had never occurred to him before. The _presence_ he was feeling must be caused by a vampire, a powerful one to be precise, most likely a pureblood. He had directly encountered five of them in his lifetime. Each one varies slight differently from one another. Nevertheless, the common animalistic undertone of them all was unmistakably similar. Like the beating thrum of a dozen of ancient kettledrums. Zero could tell. The two male Kurans, the cursed Hiou, the superficial Shirabuki and even the unsure and fleeting once accidentally emitted by Kuran Yuuki had it. In that room, he was sure he felt the _presence_ from his past. He had felt it the night the he had lost his family. However, this one plainly translated as evil murder.

"My personality is a bit boring, you see." The timbre of the voice was deceptively melodious. A contrast to the torrid onslaught Zero was drowned in.

The _presence_ drew closer. Light footsteps. He smelt the cold wet winter outside lingering. Fabrics, thick and heavy rustled. Then, there it was; a tinkle if a small metal bell. Clear and crisp. _It can't be her. _

"Shizuka," he whispered the name, the mad vengeful pureblood vampire princess, his doomed maker and his mother in his path of abominated existence. The hate boiled. He could feel it seeping through his pores. _But you're dead! _

"Child…" she sneered. Instantaneously, an invisible force pummelled into his body sending him crashing under the window. The sheer brutality of it caught him off guard. He must have hit his head against the window sill because blood was trickling down his bare back.

As soon as the red haze cleared, Zero struggled to recover. Sucking air into his bruised, winded lungs he staggered to an excruciating stand. She was nowhere to be seen but her aura was still billowing furiously in there. Ichiru must be whooping with joy in his coffin.

"You're dead, Shizuka! _He_ killed you," Zero hissed. His fears were gone only to be replaced by his old hatred. He heard the small bell again. _Not 'that' bell. _He had placed it with Ichiru's corpse, safe in the carefully arranged cold hard elegantly clasped lifeless hands. He must be dealing with her ghost. _Why now?_

Soft cool hands touched both sides of his face making his skin crawl and subsequently his amethyst eyes met a pair of familiar colour of light reddish lavender. They were alive; the colour swirled and intermingled in sync with the murderous aura that were constricting around him. She laughed at his unconcealed disbelief.

His eyes grew wide in denial. He could never forget those vindictive orbs. She smiled as he was presented by that unforgettable elegantly carved visage. Her flawless skin glowed like a luminous pearl in the dawn light. Her long silver white hair like spun moonlight cascaded loosely over her dainty shoulders. She had an expensive looking silk scarf demurely wrapped around her pale neck. It was slightly exposed as if beckoning him to sink his savage fangs into the fragrant skin. Ichiru had been so in love with her_. _Ghosts should not be that real. Could hallucinations be physical?

Zero could not move. She had somehow rendered him into a helpless, broken stringed puppet. He did felt broken. She seemed to enjoy it too. She moved her right hand to brush his sweat soaked silver hair from his eyes. He flinched right away and her eyes darkened. The phantom studied him closely; the long digits were warm against his pallid skin. Fingers traced the ridge of his nose, down to his lips in a lingering touch. He hissed angrily at her. In turn, she grinned, exposing her glinting sharp fangs which were daintily tucked behind her rosy lips.

He watched as the material of her white fur lined overcoat creased slightly when she pulled away. It smelled like leather. There was a whiff of metal and fuel too. Oddly, how could Zero miss her stark white woollen modern garments she was wearing underneath before? He must be blind. No. Not when her ghost neither wore her customary silk kimono nor walk barefooted. Unexpectedly she had taste for modern fashion. Death must be boring enough to initiate her reinvention.

She must have felt him studying silently her because her rage returned. Zero could not resist her pushing his head down, causing his torso to bend forward and efficiently connected her left knee forcefully into his abdomen. _Cruel bitch! She even had time to learn kickboxing? Death must really be really boring. _

Zero crashed down to the floor. He must have broken some ribs and they stabbed painfully into his lungs. The organ was slowly filled with his own blood, imposing a toll on his breathing. _Damn, bitch! _His anger was refuelled by her unexpected attack. Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth as he coughed. He burned. Being beaten by a girl, dead vampire or not, did not amuse him by any sense.

Moments later, he caught her freeing her long cream coloured silk scarf from her neck, letting it hang loose on the floor and licked her lips. If his memory serves him right, she will be very capable of manipulating it as some sort of iron hard whip.

As expected, he was not disappointed. She somehow caught his neck with the fabric and yanked. Zero was thrown further away in a dark corner. The sharp heel of her right black leather boot was pressed onto his left temple. He stared into the other one planted firmly on the wooden floor. Any sudden move, he knew he would end up with a fancy four inch designer stiletto impaled into his brain. Not fair when he did not have such a fetish for shoes. The Gods must be on crack if he purposely created such ethereal but twisted beings like vampires. Adrenalines pumped in his veins. His irritation and fury burned brighter.

"So, it was _him_," she growled. Zero felt the pressure on his temple augment up a notch. He needed a distraction to go for the gun.

"Go back to your fucking abyss, bitch! You're senile enough to forget your own murderer,"

He got a nasty gash on his temple as he rolled away from the slightly distracted and agitated vampire. Gun in hand. He aimed and fired. It never hit home. As expected, his target moved much too fast for the bullet. She descended on him, talons extended. Long hair flared. Before he could fully dodge, four of them sunk deep in his right shoulder. Zero suppressed a scream but his punctured lungs gave out and he coughed out some of the coagulating blood. Any reaction to pain would please the merciless pureblood and she'll go for his throat next. His right arm hung limp. It would mend in time. If, he could survive that is.

She stood across the room, smoothing her hair with her hands. It returned to a spun silken halo again. Her eyes glowed red. He could feel her smiling at him. It was time for his universally applicable classic 'Plan B'. Bolt and run. He did not like it but he had too. There was no way he could take her down when he was injured, drowning and spluttering in his own juice.

He turned to the window and fired two shots. The glass shattered. Barefoot, he jumped out of his second floor room. She was right behind him; the bone cracking whip missed his foot by a few centimetres.

Zero landed on the glass strewn snow and broke into a tumble. Shards of glass stung his exposed arms and back. He could feel some sticking excruciatingly in the soles of his feet. Gritting his teeth, he took off into the darkness.

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Almost lazily, he examined the large brown envelope in his hand, letting his long steady strides lead him into nostalgia. The peaceful Cross Academy ignited a lot of pleasant memories. It was just at the crack of dawn and soft illumination made the old buildings emit a melancholic feel. He liked to feel the cold wind on his creamy skin and his exquisitely tailored black trench coat was mottled with sprinkles of white. Some had ended up trapped within his lush dark chocolate locks, so he brushed it off before they could melt and render him into a damp dog. Then, he spotted his destination, a familiar quaint cottage at the end of the white blanketed path.

Taking his time, he revised the simple task at hand; he was to hand over the package to Cross Kaien and head back home to his beloved fiancé afterwards. _Just a short, brief and straightforward mission_, he reassured himself. The last time he say the older man was at the unfortunate ball he organized more than a month ago. He briefly closed his garnet eyes. That particular mess had led him to make some changes in his plans of slow permanent peace between his accursed race and human hunters. Not to mention a brief but precariously _treacherous_ incident that involves a certain impudent silver haired hunter, a blond creature called Aidou Hanabusa and a couple of shady characters months before that one too. The aftermath of those types of nuisances required him to be further apart from his dear Yuuki. A sacrifice he has to make for her sake.

He was about to ring the bell when he caught a very familiar metallic scent but, the house appeared to be dark empty. He was too immersed in his reverie earlier that he missed that faint flickering presence within the building. He twisted the highly polished brass doorknob and let himself inside. He was trespassing but he was also Kuran Kaname, powerful, proud and constantly suffering from his volatile ever changing schedule.

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Zero scaled up the window of his old room in the cottage. He had not been there ever since he moved out to his clammy apartment even though he was still a student at the academy. Cross was out of town on official hunter related matters. He knew from the mission debriefing the night before. The silver haired vampire hunter needed shelter and he could not think of any other suitable place other than this. It was covered by a thin sheen of dust but it was secured enough compared to his narrow escape from the supposedly dead ballistic pureblood bitch earlier. Things did not make sense at all however he would have to go back on her later because currently, he was bleeding all over the floor.

Another wave of bloodlust ripped inside him and he collapsed onto the floor. Bad move, the glass planted in his back ripped the partially closed flesh. He wanted to scream but he was Kiriyu Zero and being him, he shows no weakness. Even to the very air he breathed.

His internal injuries had taken to healing gradually but veins on his arms bulged and he could see more thin glassy razors. Surely, his eyes were like red beacons in the dim dawn light and pain racked his battered body. He had fled to that place as fast as his bleeding feet could take him. The glass shards had jammed deeper into his soles and he had left dark red trails of blood in the snow. Taking the normal roads was too risky so he opted for the longer secluded wooded paths. Naturally, he had prayed for the bitch to had not tracked him. Hell, he prayed that no other random vampire had tracked him. He was in bad shape, weak and above all, desperate for blood. Based on previous happenings, he tends to act out of character when he was desperate; biting Yuuki, Kaname and another loud-mouth he rather not remember made him cringed back at the memories.

Wincing, he limped to the bathroom. The second he caught his reflection in the large mirror, his ache intensified. There was a bright red laceration around his neck thanks to the offal whip like silk onslaught. His back was raw and bloody and the forearms were like a pair of sick gruesome haemorrhaging sausages. He dare not look at his feet. Zero wondered whether he should call Kaito for help. However, the idea of having his soul bared to the older hunter freaked him out. So, Kiriyu Zero, the 'slash movie gone wrong' victim has to clean up on his own. God, the pain will be murder_._

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Somebody was in the bathroom at the end of the hall. He had deposited his package in Cross study earlier. Kaname was all too familiar with the floor plan. He had been there often enough before to know all the nook and crannies. The air was sticky with the smell of fresh blood; vampire blood and too bad he knew the owner too well for his liking. The impudent, imbecilic, ungainly short tempered creature named Kiriyu Zero.

As he suppressed his aura, he wondered why he was so curious about the teenager's predicament. No, he was only going to check and bear witness. He had never really cared for the repulsive Level D vampire cum hunter. This was the one lowly creature that dared to violate his Yuuki by drinking her blood when he himself had not tasted even a drop of his beloved's blood. He hated to admit but the creature had never failed to intrigue him. The vampire hunter was mysteriously beautiful, yes but the thought that he had thought Kiriyu was beautiful infuriated him. _You should kill him, Kaname..._

_Why him of all things that exists? Wasn't winning Yuuki enough? _Kaname swatted at the mortification that he himself had been gracious enough to let the abomination leech on _his_ blood. Consensual or not, Kaname was going to pretend none of that ever happened. Maybe he was already dead soaking in his own tainted sap in the bathtub. The corners of his mouth twitched at the idea. That would be very conveniently pleasant indeed.

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_Damn, it hurts! Why didn't she just fucking kill me? _Zero managed to get almost all of the visible shards off his skin. He took a deep breath to prepare for the next torture. Some of the glass shards had been embedded deeper in his arms and feet. The exterior tissues had begun to heal around the foreign particles. He had to slice himself with a knife to get those out. Zero had been sitting on the toilet seat and the blue tiled floor was slick red with his blood. He bled like a stuck pig. The thirst was killing him.

He chewed a handful of the chalky blood tablets, gritted his teeth and guided the sharp blade to carefully pierce his battered flesh. It didn't just hurt, it stung. He cursed as blood flowed from the cut and he quickly yanked the first piece of glass out. Unable to suppress the agitation, he let out a hiss as the glass slit into his flesh.

_Why, oh why do people cut themselves up? Damn it hurts!_

As he was placing the blade to make another incision, somebody had opened the bathroom door. His head snapped up to face the intruder. He must be having a nightmare. First_, Hiou Shizuka. Now, Kuran Kaname?_ Zero could not believe his bad luck. "What the fuck are _you_ doing here?" he spat at the dark haired pure blooded vampire.

Kaname's eyes widened at the sight before him. He pretended he did not hear the venom dripped query and sized up the situation. He had some preconceived ideas but nothing had prepared him for the scene he was presented with. Kiriyu Zero half naked, slashing his own arm, in the bathroom which was practically drenched with his own blood. There were bits of bloody glass strewn on the vanity top. Kaname noticed the angry red laceration around the hunter's neck. A wound on his head was trying to heal. He scanned for the Bloody Rose. _Good, nowhere in sight. What in the blazes was the fool doing?_

The pureblood prince made up his mind. Before the hunter could react, he stepped forward and knocked the blade out of those quivering hands. Zero was shocked but too deep in his agony to throw out a counter attack. He could only snarl viciously when the invader grabbed both his wrists and pinned them hard on either side of his head against the cold tiled wall. The change of position had caused Zero's injured back to smash painfully against the white ceramic cistern, smearing it with red. He could not hold back his scream.

"Do you hate her so much to be able to do this, Kiriyu?" Kaname levelled his gaze to the hunter's and hissed. The silvered haired boy's face flickered with confusion but immediately return an equally steely glare. Something clicked, Kaname had callously referred to Yuuki and Zero was outraged.

"Let go of me, Kuran!" he tried to wrench his hands away but the pureblood's grip was as heavy as lead. The close proximity of their faces was too much for his liking. Kuran was invading his personal space and he could tell that the arrogant bastard was getting the wrong impression. He sorely, belatedly wished he had called Kaito.

"Answer the question," Kaname patience stretched thinner. The hunter obviously did not like being ordered around either. He looked like he was partially paralyzed in pain and his bloodlust. Strange, Kiriyu Zero would rather be burnt alive than show his weakness to him. Howling out in agony earlier did not fall quite into that particular criterion. Kaname narrowed his eyes. _Was suicide really the agenda?_

"I am not undertaking what you're implying me of doing, bloodsucking retard! At least not before I fucking slaughter you first ... you lumbering idiot. Hell, you didn't answer my question either," how Zero longed to just head butt the bastard's regal nose. He wondered if it would heal as fast he would think it will. Better leave that alone in theory. The bastard would vaporize him into dust if he tried. He needed his gun. If only he could reach for it.

_Kiriyu was not trying to kill himself? Then, what?_ Somehow, Kaname believed the blood drenched youth and let go of the squirming arms. Now he had soiled himself with D-grade haemoglobin and he let his own hands rest by his sides. He stood there staring passively at the heaving boy. Kiriyu was without a doubt telling the truth. He was injured in some ways it was not wholly self-inflicted.

Kaname caught the boy's reflection in the mirror. The muscular back was torn in places, so was his arms. He must have fallen or crashed into the glass. His feet were still bleeding. Bruised ribs, maybe it was broken earlier. The back of his head was caked with dried blood but he did not appear to be concussed. Blood staining his mouth indicated a punctured lung. He had been running barefooted from wherever he initially came from. The sight stirred something in Kaname. It was a wreck but the glistening red against the pale skin was stirring something up in him all right. What a waste of fresh blood. He wondered if he could lick a taste. No, he didn't even like the boy. Why bother. He continued to stare quietly while the boy glowered in hostility. He kept his face a blank mask.

The boy was strong. He hated to admit that one of the factors that still helped him to stay sane and not go Level E berserk was his pure blood coursing through those veins. Kaname almost felt like a proud parent. Hiou had been the one who sow him but it was Kaname who had honed the vampire hunter's potential. Kiriyu Zero was an exceptionally strikingly good looking boy despite of his pallid antagonistic exterior. His vampirism had only enhanced the natural beauty he was bestowed with. Although the full silver mane was marred by the clots of red and his long limbs bruised and battered, Kaname's own dark instincts were urging him to wrap his claws around the lean fragile neck, only pulverize and crush the boy to his destruction.

Observing the other vital signs, Kaname was positive the boy had not sustained any major damage but gradually succumbing to an inevitable bloodlust. However, the four healing puncture wound pattern on the right shoulder spiked his curiosity as well as the foreign but familiar scent that clung to the hunter. He had smelt it before. _But I had led her to her end._

"Who did this to you, Kiriyu?" he needed an affirmation. _It can't possibly be her._

"Mind you own business, Kuran," Zero snorted.

Kaname had to get to the bottom of the affair but there was no way Kiriyu Zero would just tell him everything.

"Stay still Kiriyu," Kaname reached for the knife. Zero grew apprehensive.

"I don't need a piece of metal to kill you. Give me your arm," he was rewarded with a very fierce glare from the hunter. He needed the knife. He could use his razor like nails but he figured it was best to stick to a more humanlike method. Tripping the hunter's defence mechanism is not a good idea.

"What then, your highness? Amputate me?" the hunter narrowed his steely eyes.

"You pessimistic, ungrateful, insufferable, imbecile, just be quiet and cooperate," boy was he good at ordering people around. Kriiyu Zero unquestionably did not like it one bit because the vampire hunter was baring his fangs.

"At what price, Kuran? Nothing comes free from you," he hissed.

Well, that was partly true. He had manipulated the hunter to some extent in the recent past. Kaname held Zero's eyes and hoped he won't get shot with the damned shiny gun the hunter was aiming at him. He had it tucked in the waistband of his pants all along.

"Tell me how _her_ ghost had done this to you,"

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Zero was not amused. He pulled his bandaged arm away. He did not want to remember anything that had happened earlier either. His ribs had been painfully set by the pureblood. He had clean bandage around his torso. Kaname had patiently tended to his damages. Despite of his clear distrust, the pureblood had extracted all of the glass shards. The image of the high and mighty Kuran Kaname crinkling his royal forehead while tending to his battered flesh using a god damned knife was.. kind of kinky. _No, I'll have nightmares from it!_

"I'm not going to thank you, Kuran," Zero adverted his gaze away from the other vampire.

"You just did," smirked Kaname.

Kaname tossed his dark hair away from his eyes. Menial labour was not his kind fun although he thought he had done a commendable job nursing the vile vampire hunter's wounds. Although he did like the way the clean white bandages clung to the boy's well built physique and how he trembled ever so slightly when his fingers accidentally brushed over the skin. _His innocent reactions were kind of sexy. Sickening! I love Yuuki. I love only Yuuki._

"Now, honour your end of the deal," Kaname watched the pale bandaged pseudo-mummy carefully rose to his tattered feet while his right clutched uselessly at the base of his throat since he was still suppressing the bloodlust. He poured the remainder of his blood tablets into his mouth as he trudged slowly towards his old bedroom.

Kaname tucked the last roll of gauze into the medical kit, left it by the wash basin and pursued.

Zero could tell that the pureblood vampire had followed him. He would never have turned his back on the conniving vampire on normal days. There was nothing typical with that day so he would make it an exception. Besides, Kuran was hell bent to dig out about the crazy vampire botch from him that he could feel the demon wagging its tail in anticipation.

He sat on the edge of his bed. Maybe he was going to sink into Level E later. The bloodlust was getting nowhere better. His tongue felt numb from chewing the blood tablets a while ago. _Let Kuran hover his ass off by the door_ _as he pleases_.

"What do you need to know, Kuran?" Zero reproduced his gun and placed in by his side. The safety had been disengaged. Just in case.

Kaname could have barked at the word 'need'. _How dare him_. "Was it her?" he asked the silver haired goblin anyways.

The expression on Zero's usually explosively hateful face tugged at Kaname's heart because for once he looked like a lost soul. He turned his slightly reddish amethyst eyes to meet his own garnet pair. "She seemed so real," he muttered. He had washed of the caked blood off earlier. The soft silvery bangs hid his eyes. Why was he feeling sorrowfully vulnerable? Had he pitied her fate? He had been vexed by her very existence as far as could remember.

"You saw her?" it was more like a statement than a question.

A glint in Zero's eyes affirmed Kaname's notion.

"She had forgotten who her _real_ killer was," There was no malice in the words. It was merely a statement.

"We are the ones who truly knew what had transpired on that day," added Kaname wistfully.

"The only ones still alive," Zero did not wish to leave out his brother and Shizuka herself. Kuran Kaname does not need to know about Aidou.

"So you're saying it was _her_ spectre that attacked you?" the conversation did not appeal to him at all. This was a conversation between guilty homicide conspirators. Well, at least the victim was not an innocent. It was to kill or to be killed, inevitable and irreversible. No remorse.

"I honestly don't know, Kuran." Zero had his head bowed. "I despised her. She had sealed me to my damnation. The sins of common murderers can never be atoned, yes. Alas, I too am one. She is entitled to reap what she sowed," he had balled his shaking fist.

That caught Kaname by surprise. Did the prideful hunter opened up to him? So the brute indeed was capable of uttering some amiable words. As much as he loathed the other boy, he quietly empathized. After all, he too had dipped his hands in brutal carnage. "You are not going to tell anybody about this, Kiriyu."

"Who would have believed me if I fucking did?" scoffed the hunter. He did not notice that the other vampire had begun to move closer.

"I just did," Kaname sauntered over to stand in between of the hunter's parted knees. Zero stiffened and reflexively grabbed the Bloody Rose and pointed the weapon in between of his enemy's eyes. Maybe he should try and see what happens if he shoots. Would he get a trough and trough or will the bullet left jammed in that royal brain?

Kaname did not flinch. He clasped over the hunter's hand which held the weapon with both palms and guided it over his steadily beating heart. The pureblood's skin sizzled upon the contact to the metal. The anti-vampire properties were definitely working.

Zero held his breath. He could vividly remember the divine taste of the pureblood. How he has occasionally dreamt of sinking his dirty fangs into that delicious skin over and over again. He dreamt to hurt, to drain and even to possess. He had savoured Yuuki's blood. But it was different. She was his Yuuki. She was a willing victim. Kuran was different. Zero secretly craved for that electric sense of danger and pumping adrenaline that comes with the magnificent coppery elixir. Shameful as it was, the most delectable source of his secret desire was too close to him to ignore. Kuran was taunting him but he was not going to succumb to the arrogant prick.

"Move away, Kuran," Zero pressed the muzzle harder against the marble hard body. He was almost lost in the tantalizing scent of the pureblood vampire. In the past, he had drunk from that very neck twice. He had never experienced such tainted bliss which came along with paying the price of the barter. There was nothing to trade this time. He would rather perish in his incurable indestructible thirst than being indebted to the bastard all over again.

"Your stubbornness will always be your downfall, Kiriyu." Kaname had let go of the gun and gripped the back of the silver haired boy's head. He would have this fool between his fingers again.

"What's the fucking price this time, you son of a bitch?" his eyes are blood red and his fangs had lengthened. His ugly nature was betraying him.

He paused for a few seconds just to look into those tantalizingly mysterious eyes that he could never truly own. "That you would not sail the path she charts for you," he pulled the hunter's head to the left side of his neck. He could sense the sharp brutal fangs ghosting over his skin. His core was screaming for the other vampire to let him relive the sensuously perilous carnal rapture he felt long ago.

"I would follow neither of you," Zero plunged his aching fangs. As soon as the coppery liquid hit his tongue, the world stilled. He lapped at the open wound, sucking slowly so he could prolong and immerse himself in the ecstasy. He had always craved for this drug and swore he had heard the Kuran bastard moan.

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**A/N-**Finished! Whew.. I'm always worried abot OOCness. Hate to spoil the character. You know what I mean. Review. Review… review, please.

Thank you lili974WOLF , Love332 , Bluebird and kachoi85 for reviewing the 1st chapter. Hopefully you guys likes the way this fic's going.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer :** I do not own Vampire Knight esp the characters.

**Summary/AN :** Zero finally meets his mission partner. She's an OC (sort of) and I like her a lot. The chapter contains some spoilers/references to the actual manga series. I wrote this months and months ago so maybe it breaks away right after Hino-sensei's "The Vicious Princess" chapter. Warning for language and maybe some other stuffs too. *grins* And for the length of this particular chapter.

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**The Black Iris**

Chapter 3

He entered the mansion through the large wooden door. The ancient greying butler bowed courteously and offered to take his coat. "The Mistress had been waiting for you, Kuran-sama."

Kaname dismissed the old croon with a haughty wave and in turn, the old vampire nodded before stepping away; disappearing in whichever dark corners that he usually vanishes to.

She must have been up studying in the library while waiting for his return. Although he yearned to immediately rush into her beautiful arms and embrace her delicate petite frame, he was reeking with the vampire hunter's blood so he swiftly ascended the grand staircase towards the privacy of his rooms. Yuuki must never know whatever had transpired between earlier at Cross's little cottage. The only vampire that knew he had given the ex-human hunter his legally protected blood was the blue eyed blond noble class vampire who was currently staring wide eyed in alarm at the very top of the staircase. The words that issued from Aidou Hanabusa's frantic mouth nearly made him fall backwards and laugh in amusement.

"Kaname-sama, have you killed Kiriyu?"It was lower than a whisper but Kaname caught every word. Obviously the blond noble did not want Yuuki to overhear.

It was very difficult for him to keep his placid composition. "Regretfully, I have not." The anxious vampire's countenance morphed into calm. He must have smelled the Kiriyu's blood on him. Aidou would know because the noble, much to Kaname's consternation; had somehow 'bonded' with Kiriyu due to the circumstances the two had been subjected to not too long ago. Aidou had referred to the thing as 'that Midori thingy' ever since.

Kaname hated the two vampire's new 'friendship' and right then, he longed to smack the worried lines that had carved their deep imprints on Aidou's boyish face. Even his tousled hair was even more 'tousled' in his rush to greet him. The blond did nothing much to hide his concern towards Kiriyu and it irked him. Greatly.

The butler in the other had was either too professional or too petrified to even twitch in reaction of the enticing scent. Kaname hoped it was the former despite he was literally stinking with the smell of bloody murder. The old bat must have some misconceived illusions about his master wallowing in his victim's blood.

Aidou momentarily glanced over his shoulder and back to him. "Yuuki-sama had caught _that_ too and I'm afraid she is quite _agitated_ right now." Agitated means she was already crying in dread. Aidou had a way of subtly picking his words without directly annoying the pureblood. Kaname would have preferred plain genuineness but he could not be bothered to enlighten the noble of his preferences.

"I'll be in my chambers, Aidou. Keep her company. I'll be there in a moment," he had indirectly requested his trusted aide to stall Yuuki before she would end up with a premature self-induced nervous breakdown. Aidou bowed and headed towards the direction of the library.

Kaname resumed his unhurried steps. His thoughts drifted back to the Cross Acedemy.

_He condemned himself for moaning out as the deliciously jarring sensation of two hot shafts penetrated his skin. The throbbing pain quickly transformed into bliss. He had been in denial for too long. He had secretly fantasized about the particular moment. Sick, sick disgusting fantasies as if he was addicted to the beautifully seditious young hunter. He had betrayed his Yuuki although she had the sole possession of his heart. The magnetic attraction he felt for the hunter was purely carnal. Yes, carnal .. That was the exact word which he had used over and over again to convince himself._

_Kaname was well aware that Kiriyu Zero occupies a significant part of Yuuki's heart. Years ago, he had felt nothing except for a throbbing exasperating jealousy just because Yuuki threw herself under the secretly doting and overprotective boy. The pureblood prince was the object of her obsession but the hunter also played an indispensible vital part in her life. He was her emotional anchor. He was the solid rock which she had so desperately clung to in her worst torrential struggles. The struggles which she had never even think of confiding to him. The envy was so great and there were times his patience was stretched so thin that he had almost lash out to destroy Kiriyu. That envy had somehow long evolved into something else and he had labelled it as his 'carnal' instincts._

_Yuuki had willingly presented her blood to the dwindling Level-D. Knowing that, angered as he was, he had intervened by forcing the hunter to survive on his blood instead. However, little that he knew his selfish decision to keep Yuuki all to himself had affected him in a very strange way. He had developed a fondness for the hunter. Fondness was such a strong word so he would call it a soft spot instead. Yes, a soft spot for the hunter. It riled him deep inside but he was helpless from drawing himself closer. Seeing the boy bloodied and hurt instinctually triggered his protective mechanisms into action. So again, he had labelled his instincts as 'carnal' reactions._

_Kaname wanted so much to call Kiriyu Zero insane as he believed that he had encountered Hiou Shizuka's apparition. The normal Kuran Kaname would scoff it off easily. Ironically, he had assured and nursed the boy. Yuuki would have had done the same. However, would she consent his actions? Would she have wanted her precious silver haired guardian exclusively all to herself?_

_The guilt instantly disappeared when he discovered Zero's strong fingers digging into his dark hair. The electric buzz sent delightful shivers through every thread of nerves chords he possessed in his dark being. Two hands tugged at his shirt downwards until he found himself kneeling on the floor. He felt supple arms encasing his broad shoulders pulling him closer into the comforting warmth. Their chests pressed enticingly close together. Was the other boy aware that both of their hearts were pounding wildly in their cavities? He released the boy's head and brushed his left knuckles along the strong jaw trailing upwards until he felt the cool metal piercings which adorned the delicate ear. Then, he splayed and twined his long graceful fingers in the lush silvery locks. The boy shuddered._

_Blood was drawn slowly as to torment him. His pleasure heightened. How he wished the drink was more brutal because the gentle ministrations made him struggle from pushing the boy back onto the bed hand sink HIS own fangs into the other's tempting neck._

_The fangs withdrew he was rewarded with a very warm tongue lapping up the puncture wounds. He wished he could extend the rich sensation that was washing over him. The warm body was pulling away from him._

_A hand cupped his chin and tilted his face upwards. He saw the alluring red tinted amethyst boring into his soul, questioning. Red stained the full sensual lips. They were still too close together. The boy's delicious warmth radiated against his skin. Kaname was lost. He was still partially paralyzed from the onslaught of sensations earlier. Mortification crept up as he realised that he was slightly aroused. He needed to pull himself together. He was vulnerable and vulnerability is weakness. _

_Zero had lowered his head. His blood stained lips ghosted against his. Hot breath caressed his skin. Was the hunter tempting him? He let his eyes close._

"_You're one sick bastard, Kuran."_

_Kaname snapped his eyes open. He wanted to pulverize the indignant boy._

"_You.." his words were swallowed by lips crushing against his. The anger fizzled and confusion took over. The hunter was kissing him hard. Teeth nipped his lower lip, drawing blood. He shuddered as he tasted his own blood on his tongue. He felt so wronged but he had opened his mouth to allow the hunter to deepen the punishment. Mouths locked. Fangs clashed. Tongues nicked in their frantic dance. Their blood mingled. Zero's blood appealed to him. It was strong, electric and it pleased that he could taste his own unique signature in it. Yes, he had imprinted the hunter. It delighted the possessive beast within Kaname._

_Zero pushed him onto the floor tentatively. Kaname relented, shifting his weight onto his elbows. He felt the boy straddling him. He groaned when the boy's lips broke away and started to trail to his chin. He fisted the silver locks roughly. His reactions disturbed him but he was not going to tell the other boy to stop either. Pleasure had short circuited his logic. _

_Kaname trembled as he felt Zero caressing his neck down to his shoulders. The hot mouth continued to suck and kiss his throat while those long fingers were undoing his top shirt buttons. He heard a satisfied chuckle from the boy as those fingers pushed his collars apart. Kisses assaulted his collarbones before returning to back to the left side of his throat. The bite marks had healed but still sore and tingling. _

_Zero raked the bite area with a sharp nail drawing blood making Kaname hiss out in pain mixed with bliss as a warm tongue languidly lapped the tricking blood from the new wound. Had the boy been reading vampire sex manuals? Zero was killing him from the inside out. Who needs a gun?_

_The wound closed and there was another bruising kiss. Kaname closed his eyes, trying to reconcile the differences within him. He wanted to destroy the boy for violating him, for confusing and drowning him with those sinfully pleasurable ministrations and making him lose his self-control. Yet, there was another part of him that wanted to get lost in the comfort of their bodies, to make a lasting memory as he was utterly sure that this was the last time. He wanted more._

_Zero smiled against Kaname's lips. He tilted his head just enough to bite down the earlobe and easing the pricking sting with his tongue. Kaname felt a shiver coursing down his spine. Then, Kaname heard low venomous words whispered in his ears, "A present from me, Kuran," Zero kissed the skin beneath Kaname's ear. "Etched into your conceited brain, a little something to remember when you're with her." Kaname felt tears on the hunter's face._

_Kaname snapped his eyes open. His breath ragged, chest heaving. The weight on his hips was gone. Kiriyu Zero was gone. He had his cards turned against him. Damn._

Kaname had showered and changed into a new set of clothes. He did not bother to dry his hair. He felt like a cheating man returning home to his wife right after consorting a mistress. Wait, no. In this case, it felt so wrong because technically Kiriyu Zero and Yuuki were the ones harbouring feeling for one another. So, he was the man who cheated with the wife's flame and going back to the wife. Kaname groaned. He felt so sick inside. He wanted to blame Zero but deep down Kaname knew he too had played a part. Making his way to the library, he braced himself to face Yuuki.

Yuuki was biting her fingernails. She sat on the plush couch hugging her knees. Tears streaked from her pretty brown eyes since she had not bothered to wipe them away. Aidou was standing dumfounded by the couch. Kaname felt a pang of jealousy. It was obvious why she was crying. She had smelt Zero's blood and assumed the worst had happened. That Kaname had killed Zero. Does the hunter mean so much to Yuuki?

"Yuuki."

The brown haired girl was startled. Wiping her eyes with her sleeves, she mustered a bitter smile and made her way towards Kaname.

"Kaname onii-sama. You're back," her voice cracked a bit. She shakily embraced her brother. Kaname cupped her right cheek tenderly and ran his fingers in her lush brown tresses.

"What's wrong, Yuuki?" he knew he was such a liar. Aidou had exited the room, leaving the two of them alone amongst the piles of books on the floor. Yuuki had been locking herself in the library to study.

"I.. I was worried.." she was stammering. Her eyes reflected pain and uncertainty. Kaname led her back to the couch and sat down beside her.

"I know, Yuuki. I was delivering a package to your father and stumbled upon him. He was hurt. That's why you smelt him on me. I bandaged him up," he brought her hands into his. She bowed her head.

"I'm sorry, onii-sama. I thought.."

"That I've finished him off?"

"Yes," the small hands trembled.

"Yuuki, I am not as miserly as you think I am. We both know how much he meant to you,"

"No, onii-sama. I'm sorry. But how.."

"Please voice your thoughts dear Yuuki. I won't be upset,"

"How was he hurt? Why did he allow you to.. to help him? I know.. It's just.. He would never let anybody.." Kaname knew exactly the meaning of Yuuki's words. She knew Zero well enough to let Kaname near him let alone nurse him.

"He was too weak to protest, Yuuki. He's fine now," it never felt good to lie.

Yuuki buried her head in her hands momentarily before turning up at him flashing a big shaky smile. "Onii-sama, please forgive me. I shouldn't have jumped into any conclusions. I've doubted your kindness, your patience. Forgive me, please. I shouldn't have asked about him," the crocodile tears had started to well up again.

Kaname pulled the girl into a tight embrace and planted a kiss in her fragrant hair. She melted in his arms. "Shhh... I know, Yuuki. It's all right. I know .."

"I promise I will forget about him,"

"No, Yuuki. Don't promise me anything," Kaname gently wiped the tear away with his thumb. "You have held both of us in your heart for so long, Yuuki. Equally and undivided"

"But..."

"Give it time, dear Yuuki. I'm grateful that you chose to be by my side instead of his. In turn, you will have my patience and my forbearance. When the time comes, only we will have eternity solely to ourselves," hot tears suddenly flowed again from the beautiful brown orbs. Kaname could not tell whether it was of gratitude or of sorrow. Yuuki understood that Kiriyu Zero was an ex-human vampire who can only live within a fraction of the purebloods' lifespan. Kaname would endure Yuuki's attachment to Zero for as long as the ex-human lives for the reason that she and he would be the only ones left in the end.

0000000000

Yagari Touga eyed his student suspiciously. Kiriyu Zero had not show up in school moody, gloomy and snappish as always. He would not be surprised to see a dark cartoony raincloud hovering over the silver head one of these days. Then, Zero would be cursing like a maniac, uselessly waving and firing his gun at it all day just to make it go away. That would be very entertaining indeed. However, there was none.

Zero had a distant and brooding expression on his face. He was sitting at his usual spot at the back of the classroom staring off outside the window. The young vampire hunter had a lot on his plate lately. The Hunter Association backbenchers, 'the elders' as they were generally called, had appeared to suddenly be interested in the boy. Yagari did not like the extra attention at all. Attention means trouble. He walked over to the boy and cleared his tobacco polluted windpipe.

"Zero," Yagari tapped the table. Zero slowly looked up at him. "Cross wants you in his office immediately. You have a new mission."

Yagari observed Zero silently stood up and stride past him. Lips pressed firmly into a thin line, face indifferent, and eyes devoid of emotions. There was no rude retort or snippy comebacks as if the boy had lost his will. Zero had simply wanted to get things over with.

Kaien Cross was seated behind his table when Yagari and Zero made their entrance into the small but comfortable office. There was a brown envelope place squarely in front of the man.

"Good morning, Zero-kun, Yagari-san. Have a seat." chirped Cross. Zero remained standing and folded his arms while Yagari moved over to a nearby window igniting a cigarette. Both did not have a thing for pleasantries and wanted things to be over with as quickly as possible.

"What is it, Cross? Another mission?" Zero huffed.

"Well, sort of. I've summoned you for two things, Zero-kun," Cross watched the boy critically.

"Cut it short coz I haven't got all day,"

"First things, first. Kaname-kun dropped this package at the cottage yesterday," piped Cross. He noticed a flicker of alarm in Zero's eyes for a second before his face hardens.

"What does that have to do with me?" he inquired coldly. Zero had left the house and returned to his shattered room after the _encounter_ with the pureblood vampire. He had covered his broken window with a piece of tarp and lots of tape. The landlady went ballistic the following morning. He would have to pay for the damages. Heck, the building was on the verge of a collapse, crude old bird.

"Well, Kaname-kun and the rest of the old night class students had proposed to re-establish the night class," Cross swallowed hard and braced himself for the oncoming onslaught.

Yagari walked over furiously and slammed the table. "You can't be serious, Cross? Gathering the leeches here again? You must be crazy to agree to this,"

"Now, now, Yagari-san. It is a proposal. Nothing is final until we bring this up to the elders," Cross glanced over to Zero. The boy showed nothing. Yet.

"Whatever. Why are you telling me this? Cut it short,"

"Zero-kun, they're requesting your transfer to the night class,"

"That's just fucking crazy! I refuse, Cross. Sensei, say something!" Cross covered his ears as Zero screamed. Or bellowed, or yelled or something in the line of those that involve very high volume and lots of pent up anger.

Yagari waved his hand and looked at Zero. He sighed. "Ironically, I will have to agree to that,"

"Sensei!"

"Zero, you're more and more of a vampire every day. Yes, you're a hunter but inevitable as it is, you need to explore your vampire side as well,"

"You're kidding me, right? You're turning cuckoo like him.. " he brandished a long slender finger and pointed it accusingly at Cross.

"Think of it this way, Zero-kun. We need you to grow out of your shell. Forgive me but you have become more and more distant lately. Especially, after that one particular incident with that Aidou heir. We've been keeping you away from your altered nature for too long. You need to learn more about your other self,"

"But I am doing just fine!"

"No you're not, Zero. How many Es have you killed last week?" Yagari's eyes grew cold.

"I've been following the list. It's not my frigging fault the list had grown longer," Zero groused.

"Zero, the list expanded because you've become too efficient. That's the base of the hunt. Wipe them out fast; we flush them new ones in even faster. You're not a natural born killer, Zero. We hunt, not kill. There's a big difference between the two. Something is wrong with you,"

"Nothing is wrong," Zero answered trough gritted teeth.

Cross let out a defeated sigh. "Just promise us to think about it, Zero-kun. Like I said, nothing's final yet,"

"Fine, if things screws up, I can always drop out, can I? I don't understand why I have to attend school anyway," Zero shrugged impatiently. Cross shook his head but remained silent.

Yagari shook his head in reluctant defeat. "What's the other matter?" he changed the subject.

"Have you heard about vampire mercenaries, Zero-kun?" Cross pushed back his spectacles and addressed the silver haired vampire hunter.

"Not really. Just that the association engage those so-called vampire assassins in some special cases,"

"Why do you bring them up, Cross?" Yagari was visibly irritated.

"The one Zero and Kaito had been surveying, Hirata is one of them,"

"I know you've been hiding something, Cross. You seem to be familiar with her brand of humour," quipped Zero.

"You've done what, Cross? You've lost your marbles. How can you trust one of those two-faced monsters? Hirata Kazuki is grey. We got nothing on her," Yagari wished he could pound some sense into Cross sometimes. The man is way too unpredictable and tends to accept risky businesses.

"I try to keep a good faith. Mercenaries like Hirata Kazuki had proven to be trustworthy so far. She is in fact, one of the best,"

"As trustworthy as a rabid dog, Cross. She's bound to bite sooner or later," mumbled the one-eyed man.

"Cut the crap. What does a mercenary has to do with me? Why on earth did the hunters ordered a sweep on her if she's trusted?"

"It was just a gesture to say hello. The picnic basket told us that she's still on good terms. Or the two of you would have returned in the form of precisely two things; in a body bag and an urn,"

"So we were just some shitty decoys?" Zero raised an eyebrow.

"I believe the two of you would make it out safely in one piece if things turn nasty," grinned Cross.

"You're a cold blooded son of a bitch, Cross,"

"I'm offended, Zero-kun. Do you recall the incident at the Kuran ball?"

"How could we... forget?" Huffed Yagari.

"The culprit has been identified,"

"Shirabuki Sara," Zero hissed. He wanted to very much exterminate all of the purebloods and when he has the right opportunity, he will stuff the impetuous, arrogant bitch to hell first. He should have blasted her brains out when she offered to _take care_ of him because the Kuran's has abandoned him. He was horrified when she said he actually reeked with the scent of pureblood vampires. Calling him a dog did not hurt as much as the earlier insult. It burned into his marrow. He was not abandoned. He had casted them away.

The female pureblood had been stretching his limits thin. The level-Ds she openly spawned by bending around the association's rules just to feed her bloody greed made him tick. Zero remembered exactly the way his dark vampire side nearly literally burst out in bloody eagerness to turn the damnable pureblood into his prey. That would be very entertaining indeed.

"It was obvious but it was only recently the vampire elders had been able to procure sufficient evidence to act against her. The vampire and the hunter elders had reached an agreement to detain and prosecute Shirabuki. An inquest to surrender had been issued but since she's a guilty pureblood, she won't come down easily,"

"So the elders are thinking of sending in Zero because he had taken down Kuran Rido before?" Yagari did not mention Hiou Shizuka. Zero was looking at him with an icy gaze. The vampire world had accused Zero of murdering his maker and Kuran Kaname had nullified the execution order placed by the perished old vampire council. Much to Yagari's irritation, the boy had acknowledge his role in Kuran Rido's demise but had never confessed nor denied the preposterous allegation of killing Hiou. Only Zero knew the truth and he was keeping it that way.

"Precisely. However, the vampire elders are also including in Hirata Kazuki in the equation. They're sending her to work alongside us on this matter,"

"I have to work with a killer bloodsucker to capture another bloodsucker bitch?" Zero sneered.

"If you put it that way, yes. Hirata has an impressive track record, Zero. She had _taken care_ of the unruly purebloods in the western coasts before. We hunters deal exclusively with level-Es. The mercenaries in the other hand were engaged in the other _delicate _cases. It had always been that way. The vampires are willing to let the hunters play a part this time because they want to trust Zero to take a brief walk on their side."

"Cross, this Hirata actually _specializes_ in exterminating purebloods? She's dangerous; you can't put Zero to work with her," Yagari let his good eye bore into Cross's.

"Yagari, Zero has to do this," the other man stated calmly.

"We can't trust this Hirata, Cross. Why Zero? I can go instead,"

"This is a delicate matter, Yagari-san. You know how sensitive the hunter-vampire peace pact is. The loss of the pureblood in the hands of our own at the Kuran ball has jeopardized the already fragile balance. Zero is our chance to patch frayed ends. They have also sent their best. Have faith because I've worked with her in the past and I trust Hirata will be professional in this matter as well as Zero,"

"Of course I will," a clear feminine voice interjected. The three hunters turned to the door and found themselves staring at a female vampire smiling demurely by the doorframe. Their hunter senses confirmed the female as a noble, a considerably crafty one because they had not sensed her arrival. Smoothing her hair, she was holding a black overcoat over her left arm and was wearing a sharply cut navy suit. Her platinum blond hair was held back in a tight braid trailing down to her waist revealing her heavily pierced ears which channelled an air of rebelliousness. Removing her dark shades, she uncovered a pair of pretty light reddish brown eyes rimmed with black kohl eyeliner. Despite of her formal attire, Harita Kazuki screams Goth from head to toe.

"It has been a while, Cross-san." She beamed at Cross and then eyed the other two hunters critically." Hirata Kazuki, please to meet you. I apologize but I've overheard the discussion. May I approach?" the tone was calm, polite and diplomatic. Hirata walked over to Cross and extended her right hand. Cross took it and shook it hesitantly. A vampire offering friendly physical contact was rare. She smiled at the hunters. On the exterior, she looked like a woman in her early-twenties in human years. The hunters knew the vampire standing before them could be well over a hundred of years old as vampires have a mysterious way of aging.

Zero observed the newcomer in suspicion. She was exceptionally beautiful moving in catlike grace. It stuck him how Hirata Kazuki resembled another vampire he knew. The high cheekbones, delicate forehead, a small smiling dainty mouth and eyes calm despite of the obvious hostility from the hunters. He was looking at a Gothic carbon copy of Hiou Shizuka, his nightmarish ghost. Confused as he was, her presence was throwing him off so he quickly stood up and walked away to a nearby window before it was too late and end up puking on the floor. She had noticed his change of attitude because she smiled mischievously at him and winked. Zero was appalled but remained silent and wore his emotionless mask again. He was not alone with her and he was determined to hold his ground.

"Hirata-san, it has been a long time indeed. I'm sure you've met Yagari Touga before and that is Kiriyu Zero. Have a seat, please," Cross did the introductions. Yagari snorted a rude remark under his breath.

"I know them, Cross-san. I hope you liked my sandwiches, Zero-kun." She chuckled playfully.

Zero grunted a response. He did not eat them. The memory of the mocking picnic basket irritated him but above all, he was disturbed with Hirata's and Hiou's resemblance. She seemed to notice and nodded her pretty head. Cross opened a folder and produced a piece of paper.

"You're early Hirata-san. I was expecting you to turn up at sundown,"

"Daylight had never been an issue for me, Cross-san. Besides, I was briefed that the mission starts off tomorrow. I would want to get things ready beforehand. Including, meeting my designated _partner_." Hirata casually sat at the edge of Cross's desk and crossed her arms. "A bit too green if I might add," She gave Zero an imploring gaze. "You're bristling, Kiriyu-kun. Working with you would be a bit difficult I guess,"

"I'm not that eager to work with you, vampire," he spat angrily.

"Likewise, _vampire,_" the tone was cold but the smile never left her lips. Zero fought the urge to bare his fangs at the offending female but kept his face blank. His eyes spewed venom.

Cross cleared his throat. He had finished reading the piece of paper and set it down on the table. "According to the instructions here, the vampire elders ranked this mission as a class 5. You two will have to cooperate in gathering evidence, planning your move and finally secure the target safely. There is no specific timeline to follow. "

"Wait, the vampires issued this out? Why do I have to comply? Just send her alone then," Zero pointed accusingly at Hirata. So what if Cross had worked with her before, screw it, send someone else and see if he cares.

She cocked an eyebrow. "I wish so too, Kiriyu-kun. A class 5 mission is the same as an undercover job if you want to put it in _human_ terms. If you please listen to Cross-san and let him finish," Hirata was mildly annoyed.

"Whatever," snapped Zero.

"Thank you, Hirata-san. Zero-kun will be posing as Hirata's personal bodyguard. I'm sure Hirata-san does not really need one but it is crucial for us to gather as much information about Shirabuki as possible. Plus, Shirabuki has shown a slight interest in Kiriyu in some occasions before so we hope that alone can help to smoke her out. Hirata-san is also one of the upper-crust nobles so she will be invited to all of the vampire society's events. Although I am sure it is far from necessary, the Hunter Association will send Zero-kun on loan to protect Hirata-san due to her situation back in Shanghai," Hirata visibly stiffened. Cross set his eyes on Hirata apologetically. "I'm sorry to put that in such a brusque way Hirata-san."

"It is all right. I did lose my family in that unfortunate incident," a melancholy has taken over her. She was recalling her family's murder but there was no trace of sadness in her words "Maybe I could find enough clues leading to the culprit." She said disdainfully and crossed her arms.

She faced Zero and said "Well, I was chosen for this mission because of my vulnerable disposition. It's a perfect cover up and I'm afraid my predicament had caused me a setback in the vampire society. Precious leads will circulate in the midst of gossip and having you posing as an aide will speed up our task. Some of the information might be valuable". The hunters tensed. Harita was planning to bait herself in the sea of snapping bloodsuckers to lure out Shirabuki or whatever. Zero would be the prop. It would be like flouncing in uncharted waters.

Yagari had been silently studying the vampire. Her demeanour was exceptionally different from the other nobles he had encountered. Although he had briefly come across her only once in a hunter-vampire meeting, even then he found her surprisingly human like in her actions and speech. He was concerned about Zero. The boy is as explosive as a time bomb. It also irked him that Hirata Kazuki does resembled Hiou Shizuka to the teeth despite of the dark cosmetics. Hirata comes across as an ordinary young upbeat vampire noble but the fact that she was one of the top vampire mercenaries sent chills down to his bones. Only a select few of the hunters and vampires knew about Hirata's capabilities. On the surface, she was an heiress to a wealthy antique dealing vampire clan but underneath, she had taken down at least a dozen of fierce pureblood vampires in her lifetime. They were throwing Zero to dance with a deadly pit-viper.

"I'm afraid I have to take my leave for now," Hirata gathered her coat into her left arm again. She smoothed her braided hair with the other hand. "As for the mission, I would like to request Kiriyu-kun to temporarily move to my accommodation in town as a part of the cover up. It is near to the academy so he could still attend school."

"That is not a good idea, Cross," protested Yagari. Zero was equally astounded but he remained silent and stared at Cross as the other hunter sighed.

"Very well," Cross readjusted his spectacles for the tenth time. Zero slammed his fists onto the table. Yagari was also glowering hotly in the corner. He was well aware of the logic behind the arrangement but the idea does not appeal to him at all. Nevertheless, it was Cross's call and he decided to observe.

"I am not going to bunk anywhere with a vampire," anger seethed. Zero was still digesting the fact he had to work alongside Hirata Kazuki and jamming the thought of having to live in close quarters with the female, vampire or not was turning his bowels inside out. He glared dangerously at her.

"I knew this would come out from you, Kiriyu-kun. If it would make you feel better, I hate the idea too. If we promise to keep our distances and play our parts professionally, this so called mission will be over in no time." Hirata sighed. She slipped on her coat and smiled. "I too dislike staying with _another_ vampire."

Cross rubbed his temples in defeat."Just give it try, Zero-kun. Like Hirata-san said, both of you are professionals. Besides both of you need to learn to work together,"

"Fine," snapped Zero. Curse his blind sense of duty. He was an idiot, a slave to his ancestral obligations and duties, which alone so far earned him an impressive spot amongst the hunter ranks. Well, he was also a monstrously strong, brute of a suicidal ex-human vampire so yeah, he cheated a bit.

The female vampire had headed out from the room and paused by the door. "Good. Come by later at 9 tonight," she flicked a small card at Zero.

000000000

Hours later, Zero stood in front of a posh ten-storey apartment complex and punched 3 digits on the intercom.

_6-0-6_. Hell, just make it 666 and throw in Satan to make it perfect. He was going to have to get chummy with one of his minions anyway.

He shifted his duffel bag from his right to the left shoulder. It was cold, snowing lightly and he was slightly shivering under his heavy dark green hunting coat. He flipped the small card he got from Hirata Kazuki earlier and smirked. The vampire actually lived two blocks away from his own dingy apartment. He could always go back to his home if the bitch stepped on his nerves. The thought of Shizuka's ghost crossed his mind. Maybe Hirata was somehow behind it but no being is strong enough to replicate a pureblood's aura. Not even a Level-B. _Coincidences... It's all part of a random angry, fucked up deity's schemes to kill his fucking time.._

The intercom buzzed and her clear voice came through. "Come up, Kiriyu-kun" she ordered. Zero grunted. He was dealing with a very bossy female, what if she nags a lot? Lovely, he will get the complete package, a nagging-bossy-uptight-female-satanic-minion-from hell. He had never felt so whipped. The heavy glass door clicked opened and he walked passed a cheery watchman seated behind a dark wooden desk. Too cheery. _Aren't you going to at least ask where I'm going, Mr. Smiley? _He thought. Did he know he potentially could end up as dinner to one of the tenants? Apparently not.

The trip up the elevator made him nervous. It was mirrored and a security camera was placed carefully up in a corner. Such devices had always made him uneasy. The carriage halted and he stepped out feet crushing the plush red carpeting. As he made his way towards Hirata's door, he cleared his head and put on his emotionless mask for the millionth time that day.

She opened the door after he buzzed. She casually motioned him to enter as she stepped back from the door. The apartment was stylish decorated which reminded Zero of a museum with the cool white marble floor and dark wooden panelling covered the walls. The prominent feature of the accommodation was the huge glass floor to ceiling window overlooking the cityscapes._ The sun would shine throughout the day, odd choice for a light sensitive vampire._

He followed the sweater and jeans clad Hirata into the tastefully decorated living room. The dark brown wool complemented her light reddish brown eyes and he hated it. She arranged herself in a sleek leather chair and motioned Zero to sit on the matching leather couch nearby.

"You're 3 hours late."

"Nice place," Zero paid no attention to Hirata's grousing.

"So you're partially deaf but, thank you. It used to be my brother's pride and joy," she smiled endearingly and crossed her long legs. Zero caught on her meaning. She had a brother. He had died. It was his home they were going to stay at.

"No wonder, it is too masculine," he plunked his duffle by a sleek black leather couch. "Why here? I thought you're going to stay at the mansion," he changed the subject.

"So you can still go to the academy, Kiriyu-kun. Besides, it's much cosier here and I hate having servants around," she smiled again. "I'll show you your room,"

She led him down a hallway which leads to a large bedroom. A huge cosy looking bed was the main fixture in the room. His felt his feet sink into the thick maroon carpeting. Zero found a sturdy hardwood desk in a corner by the attached bathroom. "This was your brother's room," he guessed the obvious as he had never seen anything so luxurious as the room before.

"Yes, he loved to read behind that desk," her eyes grew sad despite of the gracious smile she wore. So, Hirata Kazuki also had a mask on. Zero made a mental note to crack it. It should be entertaining enough to sooth his suffering for having to play _house_ with the vampire.

"I can't stay here Hirata-san," Zero felt as he was contaminating memories. He did not like the vampire but the distant look she had on her face stirred some discarded memories in him. He too had sometimes missed Ichiru. Heck, he even missed his imaginary dead brother's company. He kept his passive mask on.

"Nobody uses this room anymore," she approached a closet and slid the double door open. "These are all yours at your disposal. We would have to attend some dry fancy gatherings starting from tomorrow. You can wear them because your clothes definitely won't do,"

"Hirata-san, I just can't,"

"Why?" she kept her tone neutral.

"I can't replace you brother," he has an active imagination and it was worth the shot because the female Level-B stiffened.

"You're not. That's plain absurd," she tossed her hair. "He won't be needed his expensive designer duds anymore. If he had left a corpse behind, I would've put on his best Armani suit on him. He's dead and gone, turned to dust. Period," she combed her fingers in her long platinum hair in frustration. Zero stared blankly at her sudden display of sentiments.

"What's bothering you? That you have to live here? Spit it out because I've done my homework Kiriyu-kun. If I'm doing it right, my appearance obviously is getting on your nerves," she challenged.

"It does," he blandly confessed.

"Because I look like Shizuka?" Hirata casually implicated the dead pureblood as she was her best friend.

"Yes," Zero kept his detached mask on. The image of Shizuka's apparition crept into his head and a cold shiver ran down his spine. His hand automatically went to feel for the tattooed seal on his neck.

"Nonsense, she's just another dead vampire. I heard that you killed her, bad boy. So, deal with it," she said it out bluntly. Then she waved a hand dismissively. "The Hiratas are related to the Hious just like the Kurenais. I believe you've met my cousin Maria before. The look unquestionably runs in the family because once in a while critters like Maria and I pop out," she punctuated by a crude snap of her long fingers. "And off the record, I don't give a shit about those useless purebloods."

Zero studied the noble again. The eye colour alone will be enough to spook him. He let out an exasperated sigh. "I have met Kurenai-san but, _you_ are too similar, Hirata-san,"

"You have to work that one out by yourself Kiriyu. I was born with this cursed mug," she chuckled evilly. "Think of it as a pesky ingredient of the job, hunter. Try to make yourself at home,"

She abruptly left him and disappeared behind the heavy door. Zero exhaled and plopped himself on the bed and drifted off to sleep. He had not bothered to lock the door. If Hirata wanted to kill him, a locked door wouldn't stop her.

000000000

"We're not going to a stupid fancy vampire thing, aren't we? Zero studied his reflection in the long mirror. It was 7 in the evening on a school night and Hirata had blackmailed him into wearing a set of her dead brother's clothes. _"You will put them on or I will do it for you" she smiled devilishly._ So he did.

The well cut black jeans hugged his form perfectly. She had chosen a white silk button down shirt from the enormous closet which also had fitted his broad shoulders and lean torso. He had left it hanging un-tucked over his jeans. The clothes were finely made to emphasize the wearer's body and Zero's was silently thankful his harsh training did him good. He was built like a fighter with lean hard muscles encasing his long limbs. He knew he looked good but he had never bothered to dress up because one, he had never bothered, two, he never had to and three, it would cost a ton of money.

The other vampire tossed him a brand new black jacket and resumed her quest to find the right shoes to go with the rest. Zero would have gladly walked in his old worn leather school shoes or his hunter boots but Hirata had scrunched her nose in disgust. She retorted by producing a black shiny oxfords, kicking the old ones onto the lost depth of the monstrous closet and curtly told him to wear the new ones to school the following day. He will wear them all right, one day when hell freezes over. He had a very bad feeling that he had earned himself a very infuriatingly fashion conscious blood sucking mother hen for the next few weeks.

"You're not answering my question," jeered Zero as he slipped on the black leather aviator style jacket. It was new and it also fitted him to perfection. Hirata had emerged from her hunt and tossed him a pair of slightly worn black sneakers. It bothered him even the shoes are the right size. There was a foreign smell lingering around the clothes. It must have been her brother's scent. He did not like it.

He shivered when her small gentle hands smooth over his shoulders and down to his arms. He wrenched himself away and glared at Hirata. She smiled and cocked her head to one side. She had let her hair down and the platinum blond strands framed her face like a halo. Zero could see her fangs. Hirata was hauntingly beautiful but unmistakably deadly.

"Quit playing games, Hirata-san," warned Zero.

"I'm not," she wiggled on her own snug black leather jacket which covered her glittery cream coloured turtle neck top. She had a tight low cut black suede pants on which clung to her slim hips tenaciously. She had no other make-up on except for her severely black lined eyes. Zero could barely see the glint of metal beneath those luxurious locks. She had three cuffs in the helix of her left ear similar to his. But the thin silver chain connecting the cuffs made him realize that she wore a Bajoran or slave earrings. Her right tragus and rook each adorned a silver captive bead earring. She was the first vampire Zero encountered who had that kind of jewellery on. Whatever the purpose was, it made her unique.

"I am amused you fit into his clothes perfectly, Zero-kun" she stood by him and studied their reflections in the mirror. Her impossibly high heeled leather boots elevated her to equal his frame. "We are beautiful aren't we, Zero-kun?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're a bloody attention hungry basket case of narcissism."

"Who are you to complain? You and your own silver and ink say just the same," she teased.

Zero glared at Hirata furiously. "I did not get them on propose," Cross had them done to him by that _I-rather-not-say-his-fucking-name-but-rather-die _former teacher to suppress his vampirism. The tattoo was a vampire taming tattoo which had him bounded to the then human Yuuki. Zero had not fully understood the function of his earrings but he guessed it was for controlling his vampire side one way or another. People generally mistook them as his embellishment to proclaim his rebellion. Zero had never bothered to explain so it made him more irritable and shorten his temper. He was surprised to see Hirata nodding as if she understands him. Then she smiled again.

"I miss my brother dearly, Zero-kun. Forgive me for making you wear them but it pleases me in some way. As much as you hate me looking like Shizuka, it also kills me that you resemble him too," she walked over to the desk and fished something out of the top drawer.

Hirata handed him a picture of two tall boys posing casually by a black motorcycle. One of the boys was wearing a black leather jacket scowling as he would want to slug the photographer while holding a helmet by his waist caught his eyes. He was tall with platinum blond hair and light reddish brown eyes like Hirata. But other than that, he could probably say he was looking at a picture of his doppelganger. She pulled the picture away and slipped it back into the drawer. "He was about your age too," Great, maybe he, Ichiru and this guy were actually long lost triplets. He didn't give much attention to the other one in the photo but his guts told him the person seemed familiar.

"I'm sorry," that was the only response he could think of. The atmosphere was awkward.

"Yeah, are we even? We will never mention our haunting ghosts ever again. Agree?" she implored him.

"Fine," he said under his breath.

She gestured for him to follow her as she picked up her keys from the table top. "I'm driving,"

0000000000

Zero was convinced that the female vampire beside him was possessed by Evel Knievel's spirit as she screeched to a halt in from a dimly lit building. She stepped out and handed the keys to an attendant. Zero unbuckled his seatbelt and watched the human valet manoeuvre the black SUV Hirata had driven at a breakneck speed. He swore he had dislocated his vertebrae a few times as she dangerously weaved through the city chuckling gleefully each time Zero cringed and cursed in his seat.

"Wow, I'm alive," he hissed sarcastically as Hirata grinned at him by the entrance of the building. There was a long queue of Goth worshipping humans waiting to get in. A large burly human was checking IDs and searching for suspicious items or substances.

Hirata had explained to back him in the vehicle that they were attending a private vampire-only party somewhere in the premise. Zero pointed out that he was an under aged Level D and he should turn back home before Hirata could crash them both in some wall. She had laughed him off reminding that he was supposed to pose as her bodyguard and she would not give a rat ass of what other vampires would think. Zero was amused at her choice of vocabulary. She was a noble but unlike the snooty ones he knew back in the night class; she looked like a million bucks but had the mouth of a street urchin. She could probably make any average male drool after her with those kind of charms but not him.

Hirata had merrily named that night's excursion as "Operation Pond Ripple". The vampire had a corny sense of humour but Zero decided not to care or it would fuel her teasing mechanism. She had charmed the bouncer guy to let them through the large steel doors by giving him one of her luscious smiles. Technically, she was the luscious looking female and the smile was just an accessory. Hirata Kazuki was an undeniably breathtakingly beautiful but Zero could never see her as other than a controlling pain in the rump bloody mad vampire bitch she was.

Loud music thrummed and vibrated off the polished glass walls. Warm human crushed against them by the hundreds as they made their way to the deeper part of the nightclub. She pushed bodies aside careful not to cripple the fragile alcohol and sweat soaked humans on the flickering dance floor. Zero diligently followed her light haired head among the sea of humans sweeping the perimeters for threats. A habit trained to perfection.

The music was jamming his hearing and the flashing lights and lasers irritated his light sensitive eyes. The Gothic themed Black Blood was a popular nightspot in town both to humans and vampires alike and according to Hirata, it was vampire owned. He smirked at the genius of it, the vampires seemed more humanoid than the white caked face, black lined eyes and blood red lipped vamped out humans.

They stopped at a huge metal door at the back of the club. The mean looking Level C seemed to recognize Hirata and bowed at her but gazed questioningly at him. Zero found reassurance in his cold hard gun pressing against his chest in his shoulder holster. Hirata crudely gestured at him with one of her long finger and commanded the guard, "Open the door, this one's mine ..."

Only then Zero snapped back to reality. Hirata was addressing him as an "it". He was a level D, and ex-human which earned him a place in the lowest sump of the vampire hierarchy. Hirata was playing her part as the cold and powerful noble class heiress she really was. He had forgotten simply because Hirata had been humouring him. She was at second level of the upper food-chain, a Level-B, and she didn't treat him like 100% dirt. Maybe it was because he looked like her dead brother or she had plans to use him to the very end. Zero concluded it was the latter so he remained passive, no, to remain _civilly cooperative _to the bloody mission and stared solemnly at the guard. That sounds better.

"This one's a hunter," the guard studied him. _Impressive .. Probably the vamps had every mug shot of the hunters in town._

"Yes, so ...?" Hirata leered haughtily. She placed her impatient hands on her hips.

"We had been anticipating your arrival but we can't let him in. It's against the rules," the vampire huffed.

Hirata's hand shot out and she slammed the vampire into the wall by the neck. Blood hit the air. Zero was positive the vampire had his skull cracked because he was howling out in pain. Suddenly, they were surrounded by three other vampire guards. Hirata threw the injured guard crashing into the opposite wall. Zero heard bones crunched. He narrowed his eyes as he observed Hirata shake her hair back into place. She had shrouded herself with a black menacing aura .Zero kept silent watch and let her run her show but secretly he felt a chill down his spine, the female was formidable when scorned.

She eyed the newly arrived guards and warned. "I would not be denied and insulted by you worms. Tell Senri I'm here and then ... I'll have your heads impaled under the bar stools."

Two seconds passed and then the heavy metal doors opened. Zero recognized the lazy blue-eyed boy with a fashionably tousled reddish brown hair immediately. He realized that this was the second boy in the picture Hirata had shown him earlier. Senri Shiki.

"As tempestuous as ever Kazuki-nee," the way Shiki Senri addressed Hirata suggested that the two definitely knew each other. A few moments later, a blond haired vampire girl showed up and stared at Zero.

"Ah, the school prefect has come to bust us," she said in her familiarly monotonous voice. Touya Rima.

Hirata smiled at the two models. "The staffs are incompetent, kids. By the way, Zero's with me," she said as she reached and slipped her right arm around Zero's left and rested her head lightly on his shoulder.

Fighting his urge to snatch his arm away despite of Hirata's steely grip, he watched the pair's eyes morph from boredom to dumbfound. He has a feeling that the mischievous leech on his arm is up to no good and he will definitely have to suffer in one way or another.

0000000000

Zero spent the night staying sufferingly too close by Hirata. She had managed to scandalously spread the news of her return to Japan with a new aide by her side, an accomplished ex-human hunter boy-toy by the name of Kiriyu Zero. The woman knows no shame so; he plastered his 'mess-with-me-and-you-die' look, let Hirata dangle off his arm and focused his attention to eavesdropping. He didn't care if the platinum blond banshee had successfully degraded his ass to the ton, he could always find a reason to kill off the bloodsuckers one day, to date, the mission objectives, no matter how vague they are to him, comes first.

He had picked up stray suspicious whispers that Hirata had orchestrated her family's massacre because she survived the attack. Zero had learnt that Hirata had walked away from the scene physically unscathed but emotionally impaired. He also had confirmed Hirata's allegation of his uncanny resemblance to her brother and he learned that he was called Kaede. _No wonder the security, Mr. Smiley didn't question me._

The Hirata parents must have had a thing for androgynous names for their offspring because both Kazuki and Kaede could be both for boys and girls. Another interesting piece of information he learned was Senri Shiki and Hirata Kaede was close model friends. That explained monster scale closet in the bedroom, he had an enormous appetite for nice clothes. _Typical_, grunted Zero.

Zero was keeping a close watch of the parameters when suddenly Rima pulled him aside. He shrugged her hand off as she had leprosy and glared. "What do you want?"

He felt her study him critically. She even sniffed at his clothes. He stepped back in irritation "You're not _with_ her are you?"

Zero let his glare drop a few temperatures colder it was hard to hear her words thanks to the simpering loud beat the deejay was currently playing, "What do you mean?"

She placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Are you _WITH_ her?" She wrung her hands in the air in frustration. Zero scowled at the vampire girl. Why are females so difficult to decode? He had nothing against the petite blond but she was getting on his nerves and Hirata was not in his line of sight.

Before Rima could reconstruct her question, Hirata had swung over to them and swiftly kissed Zero on his mouth. Zero was frozen to the floor in mortification as she smiled smugly at a gaping Rima, "He's living with me now if that's what you're asking Rima-chan."

Zero was trying to peel himself away from Hirata but she held him in place with her arms unmoving around his waist. Hirata cautioned him by stepping painfully hard on his shoe as if saying_, mess this up and you're dead_.

"Y.. you.. two. But, he.. he," spluttered Rima. "He's a hunter," the small girl squeaked and Hirata widened her trademark smile.

"Yes.. and I love danger," the tone was deliberately sultry and Zero felt iron like hands clamp around his waist possessively. "Will you please tell Senri's pureblood cousins that they can forget about him because he had moved on," she added playfully.

Zero caught Rima gaping like a floundering fish when Hirata pull him away and dragged him down to sit on a plush seat. She mischievously sat on his lap and encircled her arms around his shoulders so that she could lean over and whisper in his ear. Her breath caressed his pierced earlobe. "Play along with me, Zero-kun. Remember our task, because here are the sharks, look,"

She had pointed to the entrance and Zero realised that he was looking at a flabbergasted Kuran Yuuki and unreadable Kuran Kaname. Zero was horrified because he realized that she must be shocked to see the two of them. Zero knew of Yuuki's affection towards him and Hirata's antiques had crushed whatever feelings she had for him in a second. Yuuki's lips quivered before she bravely turned to talk to Rima. Shiki was also there greeting Kaname.

It sank in Zero's mind that Rima would probably telling Yuuki about him living with Hirata plus, the scandalous gossip the vampire woman fruitfully sowed amongst the guests. He felt lightheaded as panic began to creep on him. Hirata had sensed every change in him and continued to whisper. "You love her don't you?" he glared at her warningly. "Now, you're afraid she'll get the wrong idea about _us_," She intentionally emphasized the "us" word.

"I do not! What are you? Aunt Thelma-know it-all?" he snapped. He wanted to throw Hirata off and get out of there. He had loved Yuuki but not the vampire Yuuki. The human Yuuki he cherished had died and the pure blooded Yuuki he was seeing belonged to Kuran Kaname. He had told himself that over and over again.

"Hmm.. Thelma.. That's a nice name. Maybe I'll use it as an alias someday," she giggled as she placed a palm against his chest; she leaned closer, her voice taking a solicitous tone. "Then why is your heart beating uncontrollably, Zero-kun?" Hirata had placed her palm against his chest firmer. He grasped her hand and tried to pull it away but failed. The vampire was stronger than he anticipated. She smiled knowingly at him. "If that's not the case, is it Kuran Kaname?" Zero paled. Was it because of Kaname? He didn't get it. Hirata leaned in even closer, brushing her lips on his cheek. "He is a patient one wasn't he?" The lips travelled upwards as she smiled seductively against his ear, "Because.." she breathed. Zero shuddered as she spoke the next sentence icily. "I could smell his blood in you,"

"No," Zero snapped again. Hirata was reading him like a book. Images of the night Kaname attended to him flashed in his head. He had kissed the pureblood out of vengeance. So that he could torment the other boy's consciousness just because Yuuki had chosen him over himself. He hated him but there was that strong physical attraction that nagged him to lose himself to the other vampire too. His feelings were boiling under his skin. He felt vulnerable all of the sudden and he had forgotten that Hirata was still firmly perched on his lap like a purring cat. She ran her fingers through his hair in mock affection and guided his eyes to look levelly into her own.

"Zero-kun, we still have things to do. Pull yourself together before I knock you out and haul your butt out of here," Zero blinked a few times as Hirata released his head. She grinned at him. "You're like a sick muddled puppy ... you know that?" the fingers rested under his chin. "Don't worry, I'll be nice and take care of you," Zero realized Hirata was making fun of him. He growled.

"Bad boy, how could you be thinking of_ him _when you have a beautiful me throwing myself at you?" She taunted. "You're angry, aren't you? Then use me, _partner_. I could use some fun anyways," she stared at him. Zero was confused. He briefly scanned the surroundings. Yuuki was nowhere to be seen but Kaname was seated about 5 metres away from them and was gazing icily. Kuran Kaname was irritated and Zero had a pretty good idea why, jealousy.

"Hirata, you said we're to be professional," he warned.

"We are. This is just work," she whispered again and nibbled his earlobe teasingly. Zero was sure she had made sure Kaname had a clear view of her ministration because he could feel the pureblood's fury for a second. Then it was pulled back into an artificial calm again. He could feel Hirata smiling against his throat. He could feel her fangs behind those lips. She was too close and it scared him.

"He's pissed off now, move _darling_. Can you tick the bastard off? Or are you scared ...?"

Zero smirked, slowly lifting up his right hand to run his knuckles along Hirata's fine jaw line while closing the space between their lips. She had closed her eyes as he tilted her head. Zero swallowed nervously and cleared his head. After all, they were only play acting and Hirata was a willing accomplice. However, he wondered how much does Hirata knew and why she wanted to rattle the Kurans.

Casting his uncertainties aside, Zero pressed his lips onto her soft ones chastely. He moved gently against her lips running his tongue over her bottom lip coaxing them to give him a sign of invitation. She opened them partially and let his tongue sweep inside to explore, roaming over sharp fangs, warm tongue and along the inside of her cheeks. Hirata kissed him back with practiced ease and wound her arms tighter around Zero's strong shoulders. She felt Zero's strong fingers snaking into her hair and support her head. They were positive they had been putting on an excellent show because they could feel Kaname's wrath on their backs.

"Feel anything?" she breathed as they broke the kiss. Zero touched their foreheads together.

"Negative," he whispered.

"See, we're fine. Go to the balcony," she said and mockingly kissed the tip of his nose before she got up. "And don't mess up, my dear."

Zero watched Hirata slink into the ladies room and picked himself up to head to the open balcony. He did not trust Hirata but he might as well go along her plans. It felt as he was being used all over again. That made him feels like a fool indeed, a downright cheap whoring fool. Did he love his job so much that he stooped so low?

Sensing Kaname's approach, Zero stepped into a shadowy corner and rested himself against the tempered glass railing. The night was cold. He could feel the icy breeze like prickly thorns on his face. A turbulant wall of emotions barraged into his senses, signalling that the dark haried vampire was close by. Slowly, he turned to face Kaname.

Kaname had narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to Zero. His hands shot out to swing the silver haired boy by the shoulders and pushed him against the freezing brick wall. Zero's lungs emptied out as his back slammed into the hard surface. Zero had been expecting some sort of violence from Kaname so he had let dark haired vampire have his way. He liked to get on the pureblood's bad side.

"Why are you with her?" Kaname asked coldly. The dark brown eyes had a red tint in them. Not good.

Zero sighed indignantly, "None of your business Kuran. I can be with anybody I want,"

"She can't possibly be something you want,"

"Yeah, sure she is. When did you become an expert on what I'm thinking?"

"You fool, she looked exactly like _that_ woman and unless you had gone completely insane, she might even be the one who attacked you."

"Buzz off Kuran. Forget about my ghost problem," Zero tried to push his way out of Kaname's hold. Apparently,he have to pound his way out but Kaname's words stopped him.

"I heard about your encounter with Shirabuki at the girls school," Kaname muttered.

"Ichijo finally told you, huh? I was wondering how she found out. I don't mind to be called a dog though. I get that all the time,"

"He did not. I ran into Shirabuki herself. Her allegations were misconstrued,"

"Which part of it had tweaked your royal ass? That I reek of your blood? There's no way to deny that one, your highness. That the Kurans had abandoned me? Oh yeah, that one's wrong, I was never yours. Now get off me,"

Zero's put on his emotionless mask again. Kaname had lost whatever fury that he had before and his eyes turned sad.

"I was so sure you would not go to Shirabuki after she offered to take you in," Kaname's voice was so low that Zero almost missed some of the words he uttered. Then, Zero found himself staring into the vampire's confused and muddled orbs. "But instead I heard you went to Hirata."

At once Zero realized that Kaname was not suitably attired to go to a club. The pureblood was wearing a white linen shirt with tailored slacks under his long black coat. Zero recalled Yuuki's lacy white blouse and pink satin skirt as odd earlier. These two vampires had come on a very short notice from wherever they came from.

Zero felt Kaname's hold loosen and squirmed himself away. "Rejoice, Kuran. Now you'll have Yuuki all to yourself. She saw what she needed to see and tell her I've moved on," he sneered. Lying never felt that good.

"Tell her yourself, Kiriyu,"

"Never, I had enough of the two of you. Now, if you'll excuse me before Kazuki comes looking for me," Hirata's given name rolled easily off his tongue for the first time. Zero laughed in his head.

"Why? Afraid she'll see us?"

"As promiscuous as she is, you think she'll mind?" he scoffed. Hirata treats him like a piece of male meat, she wouldn't care. "Besides, there's no _us,_ Kuran,"

"You're a bad liar Kiriyu,"

Zero caught a faint whiff of Kaname's blood in the air as it hit his senses like a ton of cinderblocks. He felt his bloodlust surfacing because every vein his body throbbed. Before he could turn and leave, the pureblood's firm bloodied lips caught his. The bastard had bitten his own tongue.

Once again, Kaname had caught his wrists and pinned them high against the wall. Zero groaned in dismay as he tasted the sweet blood he had secretly craved when the other vampire accessed his mouth. Once again, lips were crushed, tongue nicked over sharp fangs in their frantic dance to gain dominance. His mind was telling him to trash the pureblood into dust but his body was betraying him.

They stared at one another after Zero broke the kiss, and then the atmosphere collapsed around them. Kaname's tongue brushed Zero's lips seconds before his mouth crushed them again. An arm worked around Zero's neck and fisted in the silver hair. Another arm gripped his belt and Zero found a knee parting his thighs and wedged there. He kissed him full on and Kaname's tongue filled his mouth as the pureblood pressed into him harder. It was all like nature took over. They were doing it in silence.

"I'm glad you liked my Zero, Kuran-sama," a sweet feminine voice chimed.

_Oh, shit! Kazuki!_ Zero pushed Kaname off him. Hirata was smiling smugly at them. Both of them were breathing hard and shamefully aroused. Zero silently prayed the corner was too dark for Hirata to notice anything. He could see the pureblood was not too pleased to see the mysterious noble female. Both of them were too _engrossed_ to sense her approach.

"Your's?" Kaname's voice had an acidic undertone. Those dark brown eyes still had traces of red in them. He looked angry. No, the arrogant, untouchable Kuran Kaname was furious.

Zero could slowly see what she was trying to get out of the pureblood. God he was such a fool to fall into the game. Worse, he felt like a whore. Zero did not bother to straighten his dishevelled self and picked himself up to leave the scene. Let the two idiots claw at each other. He tried to brush by Hirata but the female vampire caught his right arm and slammed him forcefully against the wall. Zero groaned upon impact, Hirata would so pay for that later.

"What the fuck ...?" he seethed.

Hirata glowered at him. "Silence, Zero!" She gripped his arm harder. _Golly, the woman must be on steroids._ It actually hurt. He glared back and she narrowed her eyes warningly. _The mission, idiot_! Zero clamped his mouth shut for the time being as she stared coolly at the agitated pureblood vampire and prayed silently that she better had a plan.

"Forgive his impudence, Kuran-sama. I had yet the time to instil obedience into him since he's new to me. I'll see he'll be severely punished," she gave her trademark smile. Zero noticed Kaname's irritation escalating. Hirata had spoken of him as a slave. If she was trying to throw Kaname off balance, it was definitely working very well because the pureblood held his shaking fists by his sides.

"How is he _yours_?"

She smiled sweetly and caressed Zero's cheek mockingly. "He caught my eye and I got him through the proper channels, Kuran-sama." Zero fought the urge to swipe the hand away, she made him feel dirty.

"He's not Kaede, Hirata-san. _You, _Hirata-san are the last vampire on earth that will _need_ a bodyguard." Kuran Kaname and desperate maliciousness does not go well together thought Zero. _Kuran knew Hirata?_

She cocked an eyebrow innocently, "I guess Senri told you so much but I do need a guard, after all that had befallen my family, I'm fragile and afraid of my safety," she hugged Zero's arm and buried her face in his hair momentarily before facing Kaname full-on. "I like his company although he resembles my dear departed brother, it is not the reason I adore him. He for one is an accomplished hunter and a formidable young vampire. Furthermore, he was personally recommended by my trusted acquaintance, Cross Kaien,"

"Hirata-san, if you please leave us for a moment," Zero felt Kaname's eyes boring into him. Hirata in turn, gave his arm a firm squeeze. _You're on your own, hunter._

"Certainly Kaname-sama," she bowed gracefully and then disappeared.

Kaname trained his icy gaze towards Zero. "Is that true?"

"Every word," Lying made him feel cheap, used but yet Zero held his ground. _Remember your job._

"And you _adore_ her too?" The brown eyes glowed red. He was pissed.

"My feelings do not matter, I'm doing my fucking job," _heck, at least that was true_, thought Zero.

"You're as blind as the other hunters when it comes to _duty. _Does that include submitting yourself to her too?" The words stung. Zero gritted his teeth and reprimanded himself to play along to Hirata's act. Whatever she planned, it got to be worthwhile. Kaname's cold calculating countenance was clearly dissolving. Now, if he could only shatter it. Zero had never thought he could have an effect on the pureblood. Curse their twisted hearts, he could feel his own bleed

"I have no significant value, Kuran." Zero bravely let his eyes penetrate the purebloods. The brown orbs reflected a mixture of emotions he could not decipher. He was beautiful and Zero hated it. "A Level-D can only do so much to serve you bloodsucking snobs. I'm nothing but a slave to your society," it hurts to lie; it hurts more to admit, Zero inwardly cursed.

"She's toying with you, Kiriyu. She wants nothing but use you for her pleasure," Kaname took a step closer while extending a hand to caress his cheek but Zero stepped away.

"You are no fucking different, Kuran." It had struck a nerve because Kaname cringed. The pureblood opened his mouth to speak but Zero pushed by him and sauntered into Kazuki's welcoming arms by the entrance.

To his ultimate horror, Kaname felt his heart crack when Zero willingly accepted the alluring female vampire's passionate kiss. Whatever was the nature of that _relationship_, they made a breathtaking picture of a beautiful _couple_. Thankfully, Yuuki was nowhere around to witness such a sight.

0000000000

"Fuck, I'm gonna brush my teeth till my damn gums bleed," groused Zero as Hirata drove the SUV into the away from the Black Blood. Hirata laughed.

"Aww, I'll just tongue you again. It's a shame to waste all that blood," she giggled mischievously. Zero shot her a glare. "Don't you ever touch me again bitch,"

"Ouch! File a sexual harassment case against me or whatever, little boy. See if I care," she laughed as she turned sharply around a corner.

"I mean it Hirata,"

"You weren't complaining when his royal mighty ass highness sucked the air out of you,"

Zero stared wide-eyed at her. She smirked and turned her attention to the road. "I doubt that you swing in _that_ direction Kiriyu and I bet whatever's in your head right now scares the crap out of you. You felt something for him, don't you?" she nailed him. "I can give some insight but you obviously are not in the mood to talk about the vampire birds and bees," she chuckled.

"You're one crazy bitch. I don't trust you or any of your game plans," Zero combed his fingers through his hair in irritation. "We're enemies working on specific terms. What in the blazes of hell made you think I'll pour my sap on you?"

"I would prefer to be called a _frenemy_ if you don't mind," she flashed Zero an absolutely manic grin before bursting into a hysterical volley of giggles. The vampire was without a doubt insane, Zero concluded.

"Maybe I'll talk once you're lucid," huffed Zero.

She smiled and made a sharp left turn, his head banged against the window. "Opps.." she pouted. Zero hissed in irritation.

There were minutes of silence and they successfully ignored each other until she opened her mouth again, "We're walking on a bloodied, twisted road hunter, unless you're prepared to throw in your whole heart, soul, flesh and bones, you should pull out."

"Whoa, that's deep. Thanks, but it's too late for that," he smirked and rolled his eyes at her in disbelief. The devious vampire was giving advice. Zero had expected a quick comeback from her but instead she gripped the steering wheel till her knuckles turned white as she continued to drive in a breakneck speed. He openly studied her in silence. He sensed a barrage of emotions coming from her at the moment, her aura radiated cold anger and most prominently ... emptiness. Her beautifully hard exterior obviously shelled a lot more underneath.

Several minutes passed in silence before Zero's phone beeped. He whipped the gadget put of his pocket and scanned the text. Hirata raised an eyebrow and pouted mockingly. "Kuran misses you already? Tell him I'm jealous."

"Dream on Hirata," he hissed. God, the bitch is crazy. "Drop me off at the next intersection," Zero reached into his jacket and pulled out the gun out of the shoulder holster to check for bullets. Satisfied, he tucked it back in and popped a few blood tablets into his mouth. It had become a habit. Too bad it never really smoothed any of the frayed nerves.

"You want to keep me guessing or will you care to explain?" Hirata eased on the brakes bringing the vehicle to a gradual stop. She engaged the hazard lights.

Zero shrugged and stared at the irritated vampire behind the wheels. "It's a routine hunter business. I'll be back by dawn," he ignored the whitening knuckles gripping the steering wheel and placed his hand on the door latch.

"Yes .. Killing is your routine all right. How can I forget that? I can't believe they gave you a job when you're clearly designated to another assignment. What happens if you're compromised?"

Zero stared at Hirata in disbelief. "Concerned for me or the job?" Zero taunted with a smirk.

"Foolish, blind motherfucking hunters," she hissed and rolled her eyes.

Zero flinched at her language. The vampire was showing unease but he was unsure whether it was for him or the mission they were on. He guessed it was the latter. "File a complaint," he growled as he slammed the door shut and watched the scorned vampire speed off dangerously into the darkened city. _It is not going to be pretty, later._

_

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**A/N: **That was quite long wasn't it? RnR.

Thanks to **mpiedz** for reviewing. Its okay it you don't read the other fic. Like you said, It's not really a Kaze pairing.

To **bloodyLili** – Kill me and you won't see the end of this one. Stick to mails darling, you're frightening the others. Bwahahahaaha.. You know I love you anyways.

To **AyanamiRei**_** – **_OMG.. your name reminds me of Eva. Here's a Eva Unit 00 plushie for you! TQ for reviewing!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer :** I do not own Vampire Knight characters.

**Summary/AN :** You're in for a monstrously lengthy chapter. My work processor's indicating that it's about 19,000 words. It also means that there will be more errors along the ride. Muahahaha.. sorry. ZeKa fans are in for a treat in the last section. I promise. Promise that you'll review after you read kay...?

**The Black Iris**

Chapter 4

He scanned through the text again. The Level-Es were gathered in an abandoned scrap yard in the seedier part of town. He knew of the place because there were several instances where he was deployed to the same location. Occasionally bums, druggies and other form of low-life stumbles into the badly fenced yard to seek shelter. Any bloodthirsty E would inevitably nest in the death-trap. Nobody would even bat an eye over deaths in that shady, crime infested section of town where; unidentified bodies turns up by the dozens most the time. Who would have noticed if some of them were completely drained since nobody would have cared for human trash. Possibly, a few other hunters had been called on to the site simultaneously so he broke into a run, hoping that he would get to the area before the others. His blood sang in delicious exhilaration as he licked his lips in anticipation. He would beat them to it and all the Es would be his to kill. Call it an addiction, a compulsion, or an obsession; he could not be bothered to care.

The alleys were unusually quiet that night. The full moon casted shadows against the filthy brick walls. His breath came out in puffs of white as he weaves his way faster and faster, ignoring the stale snow sloshing under his sneakers and soaking through the fabric of his dark jeans. He made a mental note to stick to cargoes or other loose fitting pants in future because the stiff, form fitting material was slowing him down. Some people would bleed for fashion but not him. Hirata can protest and complain all she wants because he was not going to pretend to be a mannequin and play dress up with her ever again.

He was getting closer but he immediately felt a familiar presence nearby. _It can't be her again, _he dreaded. _Not in a time like this._

So he searched for a shadowed corner and stopped. _It_ was getting closer; he could feel it in his bones. Zero reached into his jacket and took out his gun. Cocked it and kept the barrel aimed to the ground. _Where are you...? _Breathing in long calculated drags, he scanned the perimeter while keeping his finger ready on the trigger. The scrap yard is just about a hundred metres away. He need to get there quickly, find the Es and terminate them before they could round up on him and give him a hard time. Right then, he had a feeling that his stalker is back because her sinewy presence is thick in the air. Dealing with her and the simultaneously will be quite a challenge. _Worse, what if her mere presence draws the Es out...?_

Suddenly there was a loud crash from the direction of the yard. Then metal creaked followed by violent rattled of chain-link fencing. The Es were coming as expected, his senses telling him that they were closing in. _Damn it ...!_ The hunter had become the hunted.

Zero saw the first target, a female about five feet tall scurrying behind a large stinking dumpster. He went for her, levelling his weapon, relying on his training and experience on stealth. The Hiou ghost's dark swirling aura had suddenly receded and disappeared. However, he wouldn't dwell on it since he had his focus on taking down the reported Level-Es. Clouds has shifted and shadowed the moon; it was getting darker, but his ex-human eyes had long been acclimatized to it.

He saw the Level-E girl and cornered her, aiming his gun in between her eyes. Her face contorted in her mad thirst and she had drawn her lips back, exposing her twin elongated canines. Despite of the hideous blood red eyes, he could tell that she was young; with short brown hair, wearing a knee-length skirt and a torn blazer. _A school girl? What the ...? _He stopped in his tracks and inadvertently eased the pressure off the trigger.

Yagari had always taught that hesitation was a benign problem and he had proved the theory right that night. Another Level-E had seized the moment to spring down behind him from the rooftop, let out a shrill screech as she clawed his neck with her long nails. His blood spurted onto the first female making her eyes glow even redder. She lunged forward and he immediately fired, turning her into fine dust. The second E let out an angry screech; her friend was gone. Her dirty uniform crumpled onto the hard asphalt in a jumbled heap.

He wasted no time to drop down to his heels to engage the other E, spun around and hooked the shoeless, torn stockinged feet off the ground. Before she could spring back up, he fired a shot straight into her heart, he avoided from looking into her eyes. He had long avoided looking into his hunts' eyes or else he would waver. Damn his insistent heart, he cursed. She too had turned into dust.

The wound on his neck closed but his shirt was already drenched in red. Stealth was out of the option; he would have to just walk in there and treat himself as bait. He scouted the perimeters for the last time, positive there were no threats nearby, and he checks his gun right before he moved in to scale the 6-foot fence.

However, a thick piece of metal came swinging at him before he could land, smashed into his right shin and sent him crashing painfully into a pile of rubble. He had not anticipated a sly attack like that. He had hit his head onto something hard and his vision was flooded white. The temporary loss of blood from the neck gash made him feel slightly lightheaded.

As soon as he got his vision back, the attacker had squared her shoulders and prepared to take another swing at him. She was also wearing the same kind of uniformed attire, smiling wickedly as she licked her lips and right then he saw another female, the fourth E; perched on top of a pile of wrecked vehicles nearby, screeching delightfully.

He took a shot at the female with the iron rod. She moved at the very last moment so the bullet missed her heart and lodged in her left shoulder. She dropped the rod and retreated. Much to his consternation, the fourth E, a girl with long red hair had came down from her perch of crumpled metal, swinging her own version of make-shift weapon, a five foot long metal rod with a twisted but menacingly sharp end. She was holding it out like a javelin and was heading straight for him.

As soon as he got back onto his feet, a sharp pain shot up through his right leg. He cursed silently because he had probably cracked his tibia and it would very much slow him down. Gritting his teeth, he fired and again he missed. The Level-E let out a gleeful shriek and used her momentum to try and stick the rod into his guts but he leapt out of the way, rolling on the ground and fired the terminal shot into the back of her head. She too dissolved into dust, the long metal rod clanged onto the asphalt by the dirty uniform she once wore. He recognized the crest on the lapels. _The Dahlia Acedemy, _he deduced. He had seen the thing before when he _visited_ the school with Kaito and ran into that _female_. The Level-Es were students of the school and they were turned by a twisted pureblood whose name he rather not mention. Those demons are bad luck.

Now he was left with the thick rod swinging banshee. Another one had also emerged, her long black hair swept onto the ground as she bent down to collect the long, sharp-tipped metal rod discarded by the perished red-haired E. He wasted no time to fire his round at them.

0000000000

Zero punched in the security code and waited for the electronic door to unlock. It clicked open and he staggered into the apartment careful not make any noise. He would not need Hirata to chew on him after he managed to come back with three broken ribs, a possibly punctured lung, a fractured tibia, and a gashed neck where a Level E had clawed him off guard and of course the mandatory bruises that comes with grappling five blood crazed vampires on his own. He remembered Hirata's nagging on him being compromised on a mission and he silently prayed the noble would be dead asleep as morning was rapidly approaching. He had washed off the grime and blood off at the nearby water fountain while grinning smugly because whoever sees the pinkish tinged water will be in for an early morning shock. The cherubic angel statue was urinating diluted vampire blood into the giant white marble oyster shell.

Bright fluorescent light flooded his senses and he immediately shielded his eyes. A very pissed looking Hirata Kazuki was standing by the switch about three meters away. She was still wearing the outfit from their previous outing but her hair was once again tightly braided. The platinum-blond tail fell down to her mid-thigh looking as menacing as a whip. Her pretty face was contorted by her squinting eyes and lips were pressed into a thin line.

"I will definitely file the fucking association a complaint," she growled. She scanned Zero from top to bottom. "You ruined the jacket," he heard the sarcastic remark.

"Fuck the jacket, you have tons of them. Now, get out of my face!" Zero tried to push pass the other vampire but instead he collapsed onto his knees. A searing pain threatened to burst out of his chest. _Shit, shit, shit, motherfucking bloodlust ..!. _

Panting, he clutched at the front of his blood soaked shirt. It was like thousands of needles floating in his bloodstream being pumped into his heart. Another jolt of sent him crashing onto the floor.

He stared at Hirata's bare feet as they swiftly turn and pace away from him on the cold marble floor. Then he heard a heavy hardwood door slam shut. The whole apartment reverberated, he had gotten his wish.

Emptying the blood tablet container, he stared at the high ceiling in agony. He had lost a significant amount of blood and the tablets were not easing them quick enough. Zero mentally cursed himself for showing the female vampire his weakness. Maybe he would have to kill her after all just for knowing. His silver hair was matted with sweat and plastered uncomfortable on his forehead. As he tried to get up, another wave of pain rippled and his body convulsed back onto the floor before everything turned black.

"Wake up, Zero." He felt cool fingers on his forehead. A high pitched voice was ranting and yelling obscenities in the distant background. "Come on, Zero. Open your eyes," said the familiar voice. The cool fingers threaded his hair tenderly.

"We don't have much time ... Look at me."

Zero snapped his eyes open. The blurry image became whole. He was greeted by a smiling boy with longish silver hair mirroring his own visage.

"Ichiru?" he croaked. The other boy nodded and placed his finger on his lips.

"Shush Zero, or she will hear us," his twin motioned to a closed door. He realized that he was lying in the large bed in the borrowed room while Ichiru was sitting on the edge. The other angry muffled voice he was hearing in the distance was positively Hirata's.

"Where had you been ...? Why won't you haunt me like you used to anymore?" Zero grasped the cool fingers frantically and brought them to his cold lips.

"Things changed, Zero. I can't really reach out to you lately. Something is stirring and I don't like it," the violet eyes were touched with worry.

"But you said you're inside me. How can we be apart?" Zero knew he sounded desperate but he did not care.

"I don't know but something had been suppressing me,"

"What, Ichiru? I thought you've abandoned me,"

"I don't know, Zero," Ichiru shook his head. "I just felt you grow weak and here I am. Look, I can't hang around much longer. It's pulling me away again,"

"It ...? Ichiru! What's going on? How can you fucking dare leave me?" he pleaded as the apparition was dissolving. Zero clawed at the disappearing hands. He must have looked pitiful.

"I don't know! " Ichiru fisted his own hair in frustration. Then, he gazed sadly at Zero. "Try not to get hurt again all right, Zero? Your belligerent recklessness will get you killed."

"God, I'll drain myself dry if that could bring you to me again,"

"Don't be stupid; just don't trust her, Zero." Ichiru beckoned to the door again before he faded completely.

"Ichiru, you cruel fool," whispered Zero as he felt hot salty tears flow freely down his cheeks.

"Snap out of it, Kiriyu!" a commanding voice boomed in his head. A stinging contact sent his head turning to the other side. His cheeks burned; she had slapped him.

"Geez, you're such a sissy ass," the mocking voice was irritating enough to make him open his moist eyes and desperately claw out to reach for his gun. He found nothing.

Hirata Kazuki was standing by the bed. Her gloved right hand was aiming the Bloody Rose at his head. Right, she could not hold the weapon without harming herself. The glove must be rigged with some sort of charm, she was after all; a bloody mercenary. He tried to scoot up onto his elbows but an excruciating pain blossoming in his torso sent him crashing back down the bed. He heard her chuckle.

She dragged a chair by the bed and sat gracefully on it. She had gotten rid of the sparkly turtleneck top and vulgar tight pants for a simple white _yukata_ tied with a red sash around her waist, hair cascading freely down her back. Zero shuddered because without her favourite eyeliner, she looked even more like Hiou Shizuka. Predictably, once again she saw through his fears. She had placed the gun by his pillow.

"I will personally kill you myself if you pull a stunt like last night again," her eyes glared at him accusingly. "Do you want to die that bad?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zero noticed that he was stripped down to his boxers under the blanket. His neck was bandaged and the small cuts and scrapes had been cleaned. A dull pain at his side indicated that the broken ribs had been reset. The tibia must have healed because it was only tingling slightly. Horror seeped into him as he guessed Hirata had carried him into the room and tended to his wounds after he blacked out.

"You're an idiot. You went in solo didn't you?" she sneered.

"In the end, I put all of them down, didn't I?" he hissed back, baring his fangs. Ichiru's last warning echoed in his head. Zero felt another wave of bloodlust approaching. His eyes must be glowing red like hot embers.

"The hell you did. Do you know how hard it was for me not to tail you, interject and maybe save your sorry ass ...?" she erupted, wringing her slender hands in the air. She, one of the mercenaries could not interfere in hunter business without burning some serious age old policies, and filing mountains of torturous reports.

Zero was confused but he spat back heatedly at her, "Who are you to judge me? I don't report to you. All I care is the end result."

"Sure it was. I know you were sent to take down those Es from the Dahlia Academy Girls School, Kiriyu. I know who made them and how you felt towards that particular fucked up pureblood," then she squinted her light brown eyes before delivering her fatal statement.

"You must have had been so racked up in your emotions and channelled your self-pity on those ex-humans by hesitating to pull the trigger. Now look at you, banged up broken, unable to heal and choked to death in your pitiful bloodlust. You were beaten up by some damned half dead girls, damn it ...!" she slammed her fists down on the mattress. He heard the metal coil underneath snap upon the impact.

Zero hated to admit Hirata was right. He tried to open his mouth but she continued her angry words. "How do you expect to recover from this one Kiriyu? Your stupid blood tablets will never quench your thirst or help your healing. You need real blood. Why didn't you drain one or two of those Es? They're going to die anyways,"

"So that's how you survived Hirata? By drinking your target's blood? I heard that you've had killed purebloods by the dozen before. Did you have their blood too? Did you turn them into prey?" he accused.

She immediately bit her lips and visibly hardened.

Did he score a touchdown? Satisfied, the throbbing pain eased. He was onto something. "Kuran tried to warn me, it was about that wasn't it?" Zero yelled at the infuriating vampire.

"Kuran ...? Your _boyfriend_?" she taunted.

"Don't you dare change the subject..." he warned.

"What if I did? We're entitled to take what we need from the targets. A policy we mercenaries will abide without qualms. I will not deny my true nature unlike you dim-witted naive sorry excuse of a Level-D hunter," she growled. Her eyes bore a reddish tint meaning, she was obviously furious.

Zero wondered if he ever could walk away in one piece as her eyes widened in vehemence and glowered, "I can never fucking understand why on earth had Shizuka left me with her cursed replica of her brand of pitiful compassion to lesser unworthy creatures,"

Her last statement caught both of them off guard. Zero propped himself up and shrank back against the headboard. He grabbed the gun and aimed squarely between Hirata's eyes. His mind was going into blind panic. His hand trembled.

The female vampire realized her slip and let out an exasperated sigh. "We need to talk ..."

Zero swung his weak legs to the side of the bed and glared at Hirata. Another wave of bloodlust seared through his being and caused him to nearly drop the gun.

He choked and breathed raggedly as Hirata stared at him passively. "Stay," she ordered. To his horror, he complied. _What the hell?_

"You had run out of bullets, remember? I've checked," she managed to smirk.

Zero panicked and tried to get up but she pushed him back down onto the bed in a swift movement. She straddled him and placed her hands on his shoulders pinning him down. The thin cloth of her yukata had ridden up her thigh. Her fine silvery-white hair cascaded down around them like a silk veil. He could feel the heat of her crotch on his stomach and slender thighs by his sides as his internal alarm went off.

"Get off me," he barked.

She gave him one of her sweetest smiles but her eyes had a touch of bitterness in them. "I had foreseen this coming but I've never expected it to be so soon," she whispered. "Are you going to freak out like I think you will, little boy ...?"

Zero bared his fangs "Get off and kiss my ass goodbye," he hissed. He couldn't move his body, she was doing something to him and he knew Kazuki would never give up unless she gets what she wants.

She cocked her head to one side before planting a chaste kiss on his lips. "That's a temptingly nice little thought," The vampire was the queen of mixed signals. Zero was convinced she was crazy but his curiosity got the better of him; she had something to do with Shizuka alter all. Their current position did not help either and Zero was well aware that Kazuki was up to no good.

"Tell you what, Kiriyu ... Let's play a game. A lame one but I'll dose it up and make it fun,"

"I'm not up to any of your damned games, Hirata," he spat, trying to get up and push her off but failed. She had something to do with it.

"Well, I don't know where to actually begin. So I think you should ask anything you want from me and I shall answer them with a yes or no,"

"What made you think I have anything to ask you bitch?"

"Because you do, and I promise I wouldn't lie. However.."

"However what?"

"If my answer is a 'no', I get to punish you,"

"What if I get a 'yes'?"

"I'll give you a small amount of my blood. You need it ..."

"I don't need you fucking blood ... Now get up before I forget about the damn mission and kill you! You're enjoying this?"

"Yes," she replied. The smirk on her face signalled that he had accidentally initiated her so called _game_.

Zero was flabbergasted as Hirata bit down her own tongue repeatedly and covered his mouth. The scent of the blood slammed into his senses and almost instantly his vampire instincts too over. She coaxed his lips to part with her bloodied tongue and let him suck her into his warm mouth. He reeled as he tasted the coppery liquid and every cell in his body burned alight. The tinge of the blood was familiar but he could not put a finger on it.

The blood ceased to flow as her wounds closed up. She pulled away and Zero could only manage to groan in frustration. His ugly nature is betraying him as he could fell his face blushing crimson. Despite of his obvious distrust, he was aware of the growing heat accumulating in his groin. _Damn hormones...! _Hirata was dangerous yet the risk presented in the little game got the better of him. She licked her lips and smiled seductively. "You've started the game, Zero. Just stay there, I like to be on top. Next question please..."

"You're just using me aren't you?" he immediately clamped his stupid mouth shut when he realized that he had blurted out a question.

"No ..." she whispered and shook her head but her eyes lit up in excitement. Zero grimaced and waited for her so called punishment. She held up her right hand and let Zero observe wide eyed at them as they morphed into talons. Then, she used her pointer finger to rake a stingingly thin line across his shoulders. Blood welled up and she swooped down to lick the abused skin. The sensation of her soft lips and warm tongue against his cuts was pure erotic torture. He felt himself getting hard and it seemed that she noticed because she hummed appreciatively. His dark vampire instincts were singing in delight. She wiggled her hips as an encouragement for him to ask another one.

He bit his lips to signal his defiance but she pouted mockingly and wrapped her fingers around his neck, the sharp fingernails dug into his skin as she squeeze her fingers tighter. If he could only move, she had her hold on him and he figure that the only way out was to play along with her mad schemes. Furthermore, he was determined to uncover her secrets, "Are you the one pestering me all this while?"

She stiffened once again. Closing her eyes and sighing "Yes," it was the dreaded answer.

Zero's defences went berserk and he struggled to throw the female off. Hirata shushed him. "I won't hurt you. No, well, at least not yet," she smiled, bit her middle finger and smeared the blood on his lips ignoring the accusing glare from Zero. To his horror, he groaned and unconsciously licked his lips. She pressed the slender digit into his mouth, urging him to suck on it. He tied to push it out using his tongue but the action ended up accidentally cutting her finger on his sharp fang. The wound bled anew and the taste of her slammed into his being, awakening the dark entity within. Caressing the digit languidly, he watched Hirata's eyes glow red. She smiled again. He felt extremely filthy but his body was acting against his will.

She pulled the finger away and started to move away to leave him. Her invisible hold had loosened and he could finally move his arms. _Not so fast bitch,_ he thought so he caught her by her waist and held her still. Her eyes morphed into wonder. "Are you really related to Hiou?" he asked the dreaded question. He just has to know for sure.

Her eyes darkened and she opened her mouth reluctantly and whispered a very low, "Yes."

Her so called _game _was not over so she gashed her left wrist and urged Zero to suckle on it. He hesitated and the warm liquid spilled down his chin to his neck, a small amount of it escaped into his mouth. Immediately, he reeled and he gulped down the incredibly electric liquid in greedy mouthfuls. He licked the closed wound in frustration. He felt dirtier but his bloodlust won the best of him for the reason that he would do anything to quench his thirst. His mind was racing because he knew he was threading on thin rope. There was something obviously overlooked, he knew the tang of Hirata's blood from somewhere. Cold sweat beaded on his skin. The creature that had been stalking him was a pureblood. Hirata had just admitted it was her. He knew he was in deep shit.

"Were you born as Hirata Kazuki?" he choked.

"No," she answered cautiously as she brought down her talons to graze a bloody trail along his right jaw line. Zero shuddered as she traced and suckled the thin wound with her warm supple lips and it was from fear. Her lips were blazing a heated trail down to his neck so; he summoned his guts and spat out the next question indignantly before he loses his mind.

"Are you a Hiou?"

It was a calculated guess in Zero's part but she froze, her eyes had a flash of sorrow in them.

"It's your game Hirata ..." he wanted that answer.

She stared at him, thinking. Had he caught her? She closed them and brought her right hand to touch her cuffed left ear. Zero watched as she carefully removed and dropped the slave earrings onto the bedcovers. Whatever it was, he realized the ornament somehow had suppressed her true nature. Her aura smashed into him like a giant bursting force field causing his weakened mental barrier to crumble. _Pureblood!_ Cue his panic alarm, all blaring scarlet.

He tried to scuffle away on his elbows but Hirata forced him up into a steely embrace. She had eased the top of her garment revealing her graceful shoulder and cradled his head against the crook of her exposed neck. "Yes ..." she whispered into his ear.

"No, you're dead, Shizuka. I saw you fall to pieces in his arms," he rasped in denial. He felt the dull burn in his soul as he recognized the familiarity of her taste. The last time he had it, it has caused him to sacrifice his own twin. The powerful blood of his sire flowing in Ichiru's veins had sustained him from dropping into madness.

Horrified and disgusted, he tried to break away from the pureblood but she was far too strong for him. Suddenly it struck him; he had unconsciously followed Hirata's whims without much contemplation. He had been obeying Hirata's wishes like a sightless fool. She had a mandatory hold on him and played him. Probably Cross knew because he had admitted being acquainted to Hirata. It doesn't make a lot of sense but the old bastard definitely had sold him off. He felt betrayed, plain dirty, wronged, cheap and betrayed.

He saw her sharp nails gash a thin line on the pale neck. He groaned at the tantalizing scent. Where had Ichiru disappear to when he needed him?

"Drink Zero, drain me dry," she said and bend her head back, exposing the smooth expanse of her neck. "Douse your hatred with my life," she whispered. He whimpered helplessly, her steely hands guided his lips till they touched skin. Zero sank his teeth in savagely.

000000000

The room was dark. He could no longer feel the heat of the sun. It was night. He couldn't have killed her. Zero found himself lying beside a ghastly pallid unconscious Hirata or whoever she really was. The left side of her exposed neck was a mangled bleeding mess. He knew he had caused it. Strange, it should have healed. She looked like a damaged, broken fragile porcelain doll. Her garments had ridden up obscenely exposing a bare thigh.

He had a sour metallic tang in his mouth. Wiping it with the back of his hand, he felt some crusted dried liquid there. Damn, he did it, fed from another pureblood and shamefully, he liked it. Something in him stirred, a thrumming electric wave coursing through his veins. The thirst was gone, Zero consciousness spiralled. He had become more unclean than ever before, worse he felt the new wave of power pulling in closer. He wanted to bolt away, to leave but instead, he sat up kneeling beside the unmoving body. He could not leave.

Zero stared blankly at the placid face of the unmistakably beautiful female vampire, as his mind try to sort out clashing emotions that surfaced by simply doing so. Anger, confusion, hate, remorse? Wait.. Possessiveness? And to his ultimate horror it was devotion. _No, she's Hiou! Where the hell is the fucking gun? _He composed his shaking cowardly hands, draping his callused fingers around the frail neck of the still vampire.

_Come on Zero, cut off her air. Break her neck. Rip her heart out. Kill..._ It was Ichiru's voice, cold and commanding.

The light-reddish lavender eyes fluttered open. Colours were swirling and intermingling, like breaking waves. The brownish hue it bore while she had those earrings on was a mask. He reeled at the true colours of those orbs and immediately applied pressure around her neck.

She must have felt it but closed her eyes again. He felt her voice vibrate in her throat as she spoke softly, "Yes ... Go on and kill me." She smiled weakly. Zero swallowed hard and tried to increase the pressure. "I wish you could," she sighed and how right she was, he couldn't.

_Don't worry Zero, I couldn't either._.. a voice resonated in the dark fibres of his being.

"Ichiru?"He croaked, searching the darkened room only to find out that they were truly alone. He felt Hirata stirring beneath his hold so he applied more pressure around the neck. Those long digits were raised to gently cup his face. He saw something reflected in her eyes, sorrow? Regret? He couldn't piece it out.

"Welcome home, Kiriyu Zero," she whispered.

"What?" Zero quickly retracted his hands, pushed himself off the bed. Hobbling, he pulled on the torn black jacket draped on the back of a chair nearby, never once looking at the other vampire on the bed.

He left.

000000000

He did not remember how he ended up there. He did not know why he came there. He did not care as long he felt safe there. He was not even sure how long he had been there, dawn was approaching. Lying down sprawled on the winter cold granite of his twin's grave. He let his silent tears flow freely, ignoring his wet snow soaked clothes.

"Ichiru, please, speak to me," he had repeated the sentence over and over again like a mantra, hoping his twin would appear. _Ichiru always knew what to do. Where the hell is he?_

He had left his gun back in the apartment. Zero cursed his stupidity, he would have to go back and get it. Harita would be there. _Shit, shit, shit, shit..._

The night was eerily quiet except for the crashing ocean in the distant drop. It was cold enough to send involuntary shivers down his spine. She wouldn't find him there, he concluded. He would be safe enough around the dead. The winter chill was evident in the surroundings. Dark, frost covered, leafless tress reinforces the smell of death evident in the cemetery. Splaying his numb hands against the grave, he pressed his ears hoping for anything that could be used as sign that his brother never had truly left him.

Zero was doomed, vexed again because he had let yet another pureblood claim a stake on him. Fuck the Kuran's, fuck Hiou but, he knew he was the one to blame. There was always a way out, he could always end his pitiful life.

"I'm sorry," a faint voice reached his ears. Zero sprang to his feet, his right hand automatically reached inside his coat for his absent gun. _She's here._

Then he saw her white outline at the edge of the tree line. Her hair free, billowing in the cold wind; like an avenging ghost. She was wearing the same outfit on the night she attacked him. Signed, sealed and delivered. _Shizuka..._ Zero panicked and scanned the grounds for an escape route. _How the hell did she find me?_

He could not escape her; the burial ground was situated on the edge of a cliff. It was either to jump off the precipice into the thundering waves or get through her. Well, getting through her would be like trying to slip past a wall of blood thirsty linebackers. Zero opted for the former; his gut told him he could never survive an encounter with the pureblood. She was a natural killer worse, a mercenary or whoever she was; one that definitely was trained to the teeth to eradicate her targets. Sweet, he had turned yellow.

His sprint towards the roaring sea was short-lived when she caught him with her improvised whip. The silk scarf snagged his left leg, sending him crashing face down onto the ground. Swiftly, she flipped him onto his back. He grunted as his head banged against the tombstone.

Hirata stared down on him, "Running again, Zero? I won't make it that easy this time,"

"No, just experimenting whether if I could get myself killed before you can rip me to shreds," he sneered and she narrowed her eyes.

"Get up," she commanded the tone, cold and resolute and his whole being boosted up to comply. Zero tried to spew out some profanities and his refusal to cooperate but his body betrayed him. He found himself obediently standing up and followed the outline of the female vampire against the darkness of the night. He cursed his limbs for defying his commands to turn around and scram. She turned to glance at him over her shoulder, her face grim. Hirata had something to do with this. Damn him for leeching on her blood. He should have been stronger, regardless of how she had him under her thumb. Zero should have known better, now he was screwed.

Hirata approached a black motorcycle parked by the cemetery gates. There was no sign of the guard. Maybe she snacked on the poor man as her colour had returned because she was no longer looking like a pallid corpse. Zero watched her kick the machine revving back to life and beckoned him to get behind her. That explains her smelling like fuel, he recalled.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Zero had finally found his tongue.

"Oh yes, you will. Before I destroy your little ego, do as I say," her tone dead serious. "I can make you obey me like a mute marionette or you can just climb on so we can get home and iron this out," she warned.

Zero felt his control seeping back as she releases whatever hold she had on him earlier. _Did she say 'home'? What's with this bitch? Did I just get adopted? Crap._

She was still staring coldly at him. "Well ... What gives?"

Zero muttered every curse word he knew and trudged hopelessly towards the black, combustible, death machine. "Move back," he shoved Hirata to the rear and clambered on, kicked the thing off the stand and sped off towards the godforsaken destination. He rather be burned alive than let her steer him around any further. Fuck the fact that the vampire scared the shit out of him. He needed answers.

She punched in the security code and stepped into the cold dark apartment, not bothering to turn on the lights. The space smelled strange, an odd mix of old stale blood and chemicals. That was when he caught the empty plastic bags strewn on the dining table. That explains her improved pallor.

"You robbed the blood bank?" he drawled sarcastically. She paid no attention and headed straight to her room.

"Be ready in ten minutes and don't chicken out again," she meant business. Then, she slammed her door shut. The bitch had a temper. _Why in the fucking hell do I have to listen to her? _He grabbed a fistful of his hair and gave it a frustrated yank. _Because you fucking guzzled up her blood and now she had you under her thumb, stupid!_ He slammed his right fist into the nearest wall, splintering the wooden panelling. _First it was Yuuki, then Kaname, next Ichiru, then Aidou and now her? You're a slut Zero._

He found himself showered, dressed in a plain white T-shirt and ripped blue jeans staring passively at a refreshed female who was sitting on the opposite end of the heavy oak table. The disgusting plastic blood bags were gone. Once again, she donned a simple yukata tied with the red sash. Her silk-like hair hung loose framing her stern face. Like a princess from ancient warring times. All of the older vampires he had come across did in fact seem to be stuck in the period they had been born into. Each seemed to be permanently wedged in their time capsules. They shied away from technology as much as they can, preserving themselves from the rapidly changing times. It helped them from burning out since they do seem to live on forever, Cross once told him.

Zero tried his best to hold a blank face as her tumultuous aura weighed the air down, making it hard to breath. He was beyond afraid. His logical hunter trained brain was telling him to stand down a maintain the integrity of his mission. He can't harm his partner but he can't help to think that he should find away to eliminate the pureblood immediately. Worse, a part of him even yearned for her; if he could only sink his fangs in that neck again.

"Quit making that face," she finally said something. Zero flashed a questioning look.

"That's kind of hard to do, Hirata...? Hiou? Whoever you are ..." he sneered.

"I am both. But I'm not going to explain anything to you other that I am _not_ Shizuka," she said.

"You're a pureblood," he reminded her.

"Not now," she leered, motioning to her cuffs.

"Then what are you?"

"Hirata Kazuki. Oddly, a pureblood demoted to a Level-B, vampire mercenary. "

"Stop shitting around and get real. You're a twisted lying bitch. You're Shizuka."

She laughed. "Am I? One, I'm definitely not Shizuka. Do I _feel _like her?"

He automatically dug deeper in himself, "No," he hesitated. They were similar, but different. He craved her blood, yes; but there were none of those throbbing urges to bow at her feet. A servant worshipping his mistress, a feeling he fought so adamantly during his short tragic encounter with Shizuka.

"Thus, I am not her."

"Well how do you explain my inability to sometimes deny your _commands_?"

"Do you really feel compelled to obey me ...? That's interesting," she raised a hand and held it out palms up towards him. He shrank back in the chair, anticipating her next move. "You're afraid of me," She caught him and chuckled. "You, a strong, proud hunter helplessly terrified of _me, _a mere _scum _of a vampire."

Zero was lost for words, staring blankly at the smirking pureblood. "Your cells are short circuiting your brain signals?" she raised her eyebrow dramatically and whispered the next string of words, coating them in venom. "Like you were when you met her," she leaned slightly forward. "Right before you killed her,"

"I did not kill her,"

"No, you just lent a hand and let you pureblood boyfriend destroy her,"

"I did that and I'm not sorry. But, he is not my...my... ugh! Hirata, no!" he fisted his hair in exasperation.

"Fine, so he's not. Lover ...?"

"No! Quit poking about the bastard. Who are you? What the hell do you mean?"

"You're so dense, hunter," she sighed. "It's not that complicated,"

"Care to illuminate?" he sneered.

"No." She chuckled again when he rolled his eyes in frustration.

"You are telling me you're not Shizuka?"

"I'm not," she answered tersely. "You appear to register me as Shizuka. There's an explanation to it but I can't tell you other than I am not her. Regardless, I can't tell you the delicious details because I've forfeited my bona fide identity since I've chose to serve my race as a mercenary. They'll come after both of us if I tell you."

"You're talking shit." Zero pushed his hands up to his face, "This is not happening ... Just tell me what you want."

"That you would stick to the prior objectives; the partnership and just simply acknowledge me for what I am. No questions asked and swear to keep the fact that I gave you my blood a secret."

"Acknowledge my ass,"

She clicked her tongue, "Ungrateful boy, how's your pathetic craving for blood fare now?"

Zero lowered his hands and glared at her fiercely, she crossed her arms and tilted her head quizzically, raising a mocking eyebrow, "Gone, I presume? I dare bet all you want to do now is to kiss my feet and taste my blood all over again. Does that make any sense?"

"Not even in my wildest dreams will I submit to you, bitch. I rather slit my throat and drown in my own filthy sap,"

"Oooh.. Such fire. No wonder she liked you enough to turn you,"

"Yeah, fuck my animalistic charisma. Who are you to her?"

"Can't tell ... However, I would have preferred if she wiped out all of you Kiriyus. Somehow, she saw it fitting to leave you as a part of my 'inheritance' upon her untimely demise,"

"You and your fucking riddles ... I almost wished she did too but I'll make it my personal quest to make it up to you on her behalf. Once this stupid mission is over, I'll ship you over to her, all dust wrapped in that sick pink ribbon basket of yours to hell," he jeered. Her cynical personality was rubbing off onto him.

She glared at him. Zero childishly glared back. "This is getting us nowhere," she sighed.

"_Us_ ...? Tch, so?" Zero. Hirata laughed and Zero raised a questioning eyebrow.

"You're just a sweet, innocent boy under that entire rude and rebellious facade of yours,"

"I beg to differ, but thanks,"

"Should we try to be civil to one another? The mission still stands, regardless of this mess. At least to the moment it's over. I'll promise you a settlement _duel_ when that time comes."

"I can't, mystery bachelorette missy but yeah, I'll fucking will try not to kill you since you're stuck with me anyways. Damn, this fucked up mission. I'll kill you for sure once it's over, count on that."

Hirata smile and ran a graceful hand through her hair, a habit Zero observed whenever she had something significant going on her mind. He decided to push forward. "What are _we_ Hirata?"

She cocked her head to one side, pursing her lips as if she was trying to figure it out herself. "Work partners," she answered too bluntly.

"Not that. You mentioned about 'inheriting' me. What do you mean?"

"Ah.. that," she rubbed her temples as she closed her eyes.

"It doesn't make sense, Harita,"

"Yes, it doesn't,"

"Will you quit agreeing with me and start explaining?"

She studied him for a few seconds before deciding to open her mouth. "I can't tell you Kiriyu. I vowed on my life that I would not reveal my origins once I had sworn to be one of the mercenaries. But I won't prevent you from digging it up independently."

He was about to come out with his banter when suddenly; she turned to the door and raised a finger to her lips. "We got company," she whispered. Then, she moved, a shadow blurring against the darkened room. She was gone as soon as the doorbell rang.

0000000000

"Yuuki-sama, this is not a good idea," pleaded a blue eyed blond youth.

"Why not, Aidou-senpai? He missed day's worth of school and my father asked me to go check on him. Zero's like a brother to me," the brown eyed girl chirped as she pressed the doorbell for the second time.

The blond gave her a disbelieving look, "Your _real_ brother would not be pleased if he learns you're jealous and came crashing in on Kiriyu to check out his new _girlfriend_," teased Aido.

"No, he would not and no, I am not. Onii-sama said I can go,"

"Of course he did, you begged for his permission in front of Cross. Oh you certainly got his gritted teeth, clenched jawed, white knuckled _consented_ leave all right," chided Aidou.

"I did not beg, I asked nicely,"

"Sure, so here we are coming unannounced at 6 in the morning," he remarked and rolled his eyes.

The door clicked open. "What are you doing here?" an irritated silver head peeked through a partially opened door, his tired eyes slightly puffy and rimmed red.

Yuuki was knocked for six, "You missed school so we came to see if you're all right," _Yeah, you missed school and I literally heard Hirata Kazuki ranting furious at Cross on the phone about your wellbeing, _she added in her head.

_The phone on Cross's desk rang as Kaname was discussing the new night class in the academy with the hunter. Yuki rose from her chair and gingerly picked up the receiver like she had always done during the times living with her adoptive father. It was half past four in the morning and she pitied the older man because he was barely conscious fighting off sleepiness as Kaname droned on and on about the enrolment, accommodation arrangements and syllabus for his new pet project. _

_The three of them, Kaname, Aidou and herself had held the former headmaster and Yagari for the last six hours as "hostages" in the office. She could tell that the two hunters were dead tired but Kaname pressed on. Well, her brother's schedule was jammed packed to the gills and he had to press for time. The new night class was due to open in three weeks time._

"_Cross Acedemy headmaster's office, how may I help you?" she inquired. The caller must either have urgent matters to call in that early in human hours or a vampire who had no sense about human wake hours._

"_Put Cross on the line," the short, terse and definitely female voice demanded. Yuuki's cheeks grew hot in irritation. She caught Cross's inquisitive eyes blinking at her. Kaname had stopped talking and trained his eyes on her. Damn his acute vampire hearing, the caller had better have a good reason to call or she would be toasted by Kaname._

"_May I please know who's on the line?" she continued diplomatically._

"_Get hand him on the phone now, missy." The caller barked and Yuuki felt Cross's hand on her shoulder. He tugged the receiver to his right ear while mouthing a silent 'thank you'. She nodded and complied._

"_Cross speaking," he spoke into the mouthpiece. A serried of curses ensued from the caller and Cross wrenched the receiver away from his abused ear. Yuuki couldn't help but to pick up a few words sounding like no protocol, a botched job, injured, then a volley of curses, the association, crazy people and to her horror, Zero. Her face must have paled because Aidou had moved closer to her and steadied her. Damned their sensitive hearing, he must have caught a bit too. Which also means her blanked faced and distant looking older brother must also be processing something in his brain. _

"_Calm down please Hirata-san, what happened?" Cross spoke gently. Yuuki tried her best not to panic and glanced at a pokerfaced Kaname. Aidou tightened his fingers on her shoulders warningly. Yagari stood up and glared meaningfully at Cross, obviously reminding the former about their presence in the room, he never trusted the vampires. _

_After a few minutes of angry ranting on the other end, Cross hung up with a heavy sigh. Yagari spoke up, "What's the matter?"_

"_Hirata Kazuki just reported Zero's status," he pulled his scarf tighter around his shoulders. "And will file an official complaint to restrain her personal bodyguard from further participating in any hunter related missions,"_

_Yuuki couldn't hold back her concern, "Is he all right?"_

"_I hope he is," chuckled Cross. "He scraped through a badly turned out mission but I'm not sure if he'll survive Hirata's wrath," he chuckled and Yuuki gaped at Cross. Her adoptive father had a quirky sense of humour._

"_Well, well, so he lives," piped Kaname."_

"_How dare you pureblood..." Yagari glowered._

_Yuuki seized the moment and squawked, "I'll check on him. May I, onii-sama?"_

_Aidou gasped, Kaname snapped his pencil into splinters but gave a grudgingly hasty nod, Yagari sneered but Cross bounded over to her and took both of her hands adoringly, "You're an angel, Yuuki."_

And the rest was history.

"Cross sent you didn't him?" puffed Zero as he crossed his arms.

"Yes," she lied. _I volunteered..._

"Tell him I'm fine," he was about to slam the door shut when a pale hand shot out to grab and swing the heavy teak door open.

There was a small scuffle and they came face to face with a beaming Hirata Kazuki. Her elaborate earrings jangled slightly as Zero tried to pull her back in by the shoulders. She shrugged his hands off and the platinum blond vampire encircled her arms around a squirming and cursing Zero, placing her head on his right shoulder making Yuuki immediately divert her eyes to stare at the floor. Her cheeks flamed red.

Aidou cleared his throat, glared at Zero and looked away uneasily, "Yuuki-sama, we have to go,"

Hirata released Zero and her eyes widened as she recognized the pureblood princess. "Good morning, Yuuki-sama, Aidou-san. What a pleasant surprise, would you like to come in?"

Yuuki couldn't believe her eyes, she couldn't picture the bright and breezy Hirata was the one yelling obscenities at Cross over the phone a while ago. The brown haired vampire princess smiled weakly and shook her head. "I thank you for the kind offer but it seems Aidou-senpai is right, we have to be somewhere else. Nevertheless, I hope we can meet again, Hirata-san,"

"I would be honoured, Yuuki-sama."

Yuuki nodded curtly and smile wistfully at Zero, "See you around, hunter,"

She turned and left with Aidou on her heels.

Zero closed the door and retreated back into the apartment. Hirata had the coffee mugs in her hands, walked to the sink and poured the black liquid away. "That was awkward," she mumbled.

"What the hell was that for, Hirata?" Zero snapped.

"I was trying to make friends. I'm lonely," she replied innocently.

"Not that!"

"What?"

"You groped me!"

"File a complaint, see if I care,"

0000000000

School proved to be hell that day. Zero had no idea he had grown his own annoying group of fan girls over his absence. As soon as he stepped into the school building, he was nearly crushed to death by the hoard of squealing overly concerned teenage girls. Fortunately his death glare and efficient bark of commands to back off still works. Fending off his classmates later on drained his energy. Yori, the girl formerly known as Yuuki's best friend basically fawned over his blanched appearance. Worse, Kaito noticed the changes and had openly stared and studied him throughout class successfully fuelling gossip material to both his and the teacher's fanatical fan girls. The 'Takamiya-sensei likes Kiriyu' saga had been successfully blown out of proportion. Those female vultures had stalked him all day and he nearly pulled out his gun on one of them when she _ambushed_ him at the school gate as he was leaving.

He had made sure nobody tailed him for the last time and entered Hirata's building. The doorman gave a curt nod and handed him a few envelopes. "This just came in for the lovely lady," said the rotund elderly man. Zero nodded his head and made his way to Hirata's floor. Two of them were probably bills but a white one caught his attention. It was addressed to 'Hirata Kazuki and Kiriyu Zero' strange. _Hirata and Kiriyu? She would so tease about it later_.

The apartment was quiet. Zero discarded his shoes, placed the mail on the kitchen counter and made his way to his 'room'. The vampire must be still fast asleep so he stripped off his jacket, stored the gun in the bedside drawer and headed to the bathroom. He needed a hot shower and a cool head before an encounter with Hirata.

Zero pulled out his shirt and undid the buttons lazily. It was then he truly realised the reason he was being pestered so much at school that day. His own eyes shocked him. He was aware that the unusual purplish shade of the irises could turn heads but it was nothing compared to the unnatural sheen it has taken. It was glistening like crystals. His skin was paler than ever, it held an eerie luminosity and his hair shined with a strange bounce in it, like every strand had a life of its own, moving with the slightest shift of his head. Then he traced his fingers to his fangs, only to find them smaller, compact and hideously sharper.

A small part of him liked what he saw, his vampire side. He continued to stare at his reflection, emotions surfacing and colliding haphazardly. There was a bit of gratitude because he no longer felt the pain of his blood lust, sadness for the reason he had descended further into his vampirism, anguished because he had further lost his humanity, perplexity because he unsure how he should react, horror because he wanted Hirata's blood again and that combination soon bubbled into anger.

Zero fisted his hair and his vision tunnelled. He must have screamed out his frustrations and whatever he did had caused the mirror to bloat like a giant blob before exploding into a billion pieces. The sharp particles stabbed into his skin and clothes. The pain was intense and blood dripped to the tiled floor. He stared at his bloodied face, neck and hands as his mind raced to figure out what had just happened. He had no telekinetic abilities so whatever had caused the 'explosion' was not originally his. It might have been caused by the pure blood he ingested; Hirata's.

Zero curled his bloodied fingers into fist and screamed again; this time he felt a bundle of energy balling up in his core. He heard the click of the bathroom door turning and whirled around. An alarmed Hirata burst into the bathroom. In his hazed panic, Zero splayed his palm flat in the middle of her chest to push her away and consequently, her eyes widened as she uttered his name silently. Blood spewed from her mouth as she buckled down to the floor.

"Kazuki!" he caught her just before her face nearly hit the tiles. She was still coughing up blood when he instinctively gathered her up in his arms and stepped out to lay her on the bed, ignoring his own healing cuts. The female was barely conscious but still she clutched painfully onto him; her blood stained his open shirt.

She was wheezing painfully signalling a damaged lung. Zero managed to get a hold of his cell phone and was about to call Cross for help when she suddenly sat up and knocked the device away from him. Her eyes blazed with anger and she pulled him close by his open collars, "Get a grip, Zero. I'll heal," she rasped out.

Guilt racked him. He knew what she was and he hated her but he couldn't help but embrace her in a fierce hug. "I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to.. Oh, shit. " he rocked her back and forth almost violently just to affirm that she was not going to turn into dust and leave him alone. The realization scared him but he decided he could worry about things later. He must have held her too tightly and aggravated her injuries because her soft warm body automatically stiffened and she groaned painfully.

He let her go and settled her back down onto the mattress. She winced and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry too," she said softly. The words hit him like a ton of bricks. He couldn't understand her intent but the simple sentence made his emotions well up to his throat.

"I hurt you. Why are _you_ apologising for? What should I do? Do you need blood? Here take mine," he rolled up his shirtsleeve and pushed his wrist to her bloodied lips. She did not move but only to sigh deeply.

As she slowly opened her eyes, settling her glowing red orbs on his, she uttered the second sentence which sent his emotions further into confusion, "I do need your blood but it doesn't mean I want it,"

"Why? I did this to you. You need blood to heal,"

"Ah, that's true," she let out a ragged sigh as she took his wrist, turning his palm in and tenderly licked his cuts. Zero shivered at the touch. She smiled at him but the dried blood on her face made it look grotesque, her voice quiet and hollow, "Drinking your blood that way would solidify the connection between us, hunter. Remember what we are, you're supposed to hate me," She kissed his palm, "I don't want that to change that. You have to hate me till the very end,"

He said nothing. She released his hand and turned her head away. "Now, would you please go tend to yourself and let me recover?"

"No, I'll stay with you and keep you safe,"

"Zero, I want you to go and recompose your thoughts. In case you forgot, you called me by my given name before I nearly kissed the bathroom floor and that scared the shit out of me. You don't have to protect me from anything and you thinking that scared the hell out of me. This house is sealed; nobody will sniff my filthy blood out. Figure out how you trashed the bathroom and turned my lungs into jelly and then I want you back being the pain in the ass you are so we could finish our job properly," she said icily.

Zero stared at Hirata unbelievingly. She was a pureblood and yet she had lowered herself with her careless words. What was she trying to convey? She had wanted him to hate her. She had admitted her fears. Was she afraid of growing familiar with him? A vampire never admit weakness unless with an ulterior motif. She was not even mad at him for incapacitating her. Her tenderness was contradicted by her coldness. He had yet to figure out her masks.

She glared at him and he left her in his bed without uttering another word. He rummaged the drawers for a clean set of clothes and towels. Figuring that he could not use his bathroom, he headed towards the other one available, Hirata's.

Her room was slightly smaller than his with painted white walls and a single white covered bed. In short, the room was bare. He felt a small tinge of guilt trespassing into her quarters, although he had been in Yuuki's thousands of times before. Hirata was not Yuuki. Yuuki could easily be classified as a sister but Hirata was something else. _She's your work partner, stupid. No more, no less._

The bathroom was similar to the one he accidently destroyed. His guilt upped a notch. Zero dismissed the feeling and quickly stripped off his clothes and cleaned himself of the blood and grime. As expected, his cut had healed. His blood and Harita's combined made a strange enticing mix yet surprisingly, it did not trigger his bloodlust. Hirata's blood must be identical enough to Shizuka's that it had stabilized him. _Who the hell is she? _

Never in his five vampire years had he felt no pain in his being. He chided himself for having another pure blood in system. He braced himself against the marble vanity top and bowed his head. _Congratulations Zero, you've become more of a monster than you've ever been before. Ichiru would be so proud of you._

"Indeed I am," chimed a familiar voice and he saw a pair of pale arms encircling his waist from behind. Zero snapped his head up and his eyes locked on another reflection in the mirror. His twin was embracing him and nuzzled his neck. He could feel warmth emanating from the phantom. The warm steady breath caressed his skin like butterflies.

"Ichiru," he gasped and blushed in his nakedness. He tried to grab for a towel but stopped as he felt a set of fangs brushing his skin. "Fuck!" he growled. Ichiru was an apparition playing tricks on him. His brother was human to the last time he buried him.

A hand clamped on his mouth as Ichiru grinned devilishly "Hush, brother. I won't hurt you." Ichiru tilted Zero's head back and licked the right side of his neck. "Zero, you've grown so strong," he hummed. Zero watched in horror as Ichiru drew back his lips and sank a pair of elongated canines into him before his vision turned black.

He descended into reality breathing raggedly as his heart thumped violently in his chest. _What the hell was that?_ Zero splashed his face with cold water and showered hurriedly. He slipped on his clean pair of pyjama pants and a white T-shirt before rummaging Hirata's closet for a set of her yukata. He discovered that she had a whole stack of them and hastily chose a light blue one with a black sash. Then he searched for a small towel and a filled a bowl from the kitchen with warm water.

Hirata did not move when he entered the room. Curled in a foetal position, dried blood flaked on her skin and the front of her garment was stained dark reddish brown. He could hear her wheezing lightly signifying her still recovering internal organs. Whatever he unleashed was enough to damage her and it irked him it took her longer than he anticipated to repair herself. He had seen Kuran Rido regenerate again and again after taking heavy damage; a pureblood has remarkable recovering abilities. _But why doesn't it apply to Hirata Kazuki? She's a pureblood too._ He pondered silently.

Then he caught the sight of her glinting earrings and pursed his lips. Her seal, whatever it was suppressed her abilities to heal, her aura felt like a regular noble vampire's. She should have had the common sense to release her true powers for it would have taken a few minutes to fully recover, but she didn't.

Mystified, Zero set the things on the bedside table, kneeled over to push back her hair from her face and ears to get a better look at her seals. Suddenly her eyes flew open and talons shot at his neck clutching it in an iron hold. Automatically Zero clawed at her hand, "Kazuki!" he gasped.

She released him and coughed violently. Zero helped her up to a sitting position and held a glass of water to her lips. He had dissolved a blood tablet it in earlier giving the water a pale red tint. She took a sip but spluttered it out. He wiped her mouth with the warm damp towel.

"What the hell was that?" she choked.

"Blood tablet," he smirked and she glared at him. "Don't tell me you've never had one,"

"I prefer blood bags in case you didn't notice," she remarked sarcastically as he proceeded to wipe her face with the towel, dipping and rinsing the towel in the warm water. She watched him in puzzlement.

He kept his mask on, "Get use to it because I'm not going to rob and blood banks for you." He touched the warm towel down to her neck, trailing after the dried blood streaks. She stiffened and curled her fingers around his wrist uncertainly, holding them firmly in against her collarbones.

"What are you doing?" she asked childishly.

"Making sure you'll forgive me for what I did,"

Her lips pursed into a thin line and she averted her eyes. "You did nothing wrong, you could've killed me when you got the chance. Have you forgotten that I am one like the creature who raped you of your humanity, threw you away instead of taking you under her evil wings? Are we forgiven?" Her grip on his wrist tightened. "The hatred you harboured for Shizuka should've been potent enough ..."

"You're saying you deserve my revenge for what she had done? I don't know what she is to you, I may not trust you fully yet but I know you enough to learn to cast my grudges aside, pureblood... You are not responsible for her wrongdoings, shit happens."

"Have you lost your mind? I'm a vampire, the very monster you should destroy on sight."

"No, in fact, I think I might've just found it. Face it, you're as lost as I am, you are fucking crazy of a pureblood to suppress yourself in this condition, bearing the agony when you could've naturally healed if you'd had the logic to release your stupid seal. Unless you're a damned masochist under that pretty face of yours,"

Her face broke into a mystified smile, chuckling, she said "I've never gotten use to the fact that I am one, and I definitely don't have that streak,"

Zero stared at her for a few seconds while she tried her best to glare back. Zero crossed his arms and sneered, "Don't you fucking lie to me vampire, never gotten used to being a pureblood? Tch.. bullshit! You're _born_ one stupid bitch! Look at what your blood can do to me? I'm a monster just like you!"

Her eyes grew wide in disbelief, "What? You, you, you're lecturing me now, _hunter_? What about you? Ready to admit that you're no longer human now? Why are you still adamant on being a hunter while they treat you like shit?" she growled and broke into another volley of coughs, aggravating her damaged lungs once more. Blood leaked anew from her mouth and she hastily wiped them with the back of her hands, enhancing her grotesqueness, the scent of her fresh blood mixed with her fury flooded his senses.

She clutched her heaving chest and spat her words at him, "I've spent my entire life _repressing_ my cursed nature. Do you think I have ever walked out there as what I am? As a monster as you said," She pushed back her hair behind her ears, exposing the seals she wore, her ornately crafted silver earrings.

"Do you know how excruciatingly painful; to have these damnable seals on to make me appear lesser than a damned pureblood? How can I not help to loath my very own fate? Not being able to walk tall and proud of my lineage? After all, how could I claim to be a Hiou when Shizuka had blatantly destroyed our place in our world? I'm a Hirata now ... I relinquished my identity for her sake and look where that had led me to? What did I do to deserve this prison, after I had sacrificed so much?"

She stiffened. Obviously realizing her slip of tongue; she had admitted her connection to Shizuka. In a quiet voice, she diverted her eyes and from him and continued, "I need to feel pain, hunter. I need to know that I am not like _her _who bathed in evil and madness, a pureblood who brought nothing but pain to the world out of her sheer selfishness. I _need_ to know that chose a different path from her, to remedy this place of damage and harm made by entities like her,"

"Who are you ... exactly?" he wondered how Hirata and Shizuka fit together. He would find out and for now, he would sit back and collect the pieces.

She said nothing.

Zero held her profile, tears were forming at the corners of her eyes, he was sure he had felt her heart reaching out to him, "So you chose to add me to your list of things needed to be rescued, a boy who had been destroyed by her?"

"I don't believe you were anywhere close to being destroyed, merely being strengthened in the cruellest possible ways. It is a pureblood's responsibility to sustain every human they turned. Despite her motifs, still curse her twisted heart that she didn't finish you off in the first place. Nobody deserves to suffer like you did," she sighed. "However I'm regretting my decision in letting you have my blood. It stablizes you, yes... But I may end up hurting you because of the magnitude of _potential_ that comes with it might overwhelme you. This little _incident_ is just the tip of the iceberg... I've ingested too much power over the years and suddenly I'm afraid for you."

Zero was taken aback. _She had ingested what ...?_ She must have meant all the pure blood she had leeched on from her _targets_. To his knowledge and from her previous admittance she, a mercenary was allowed to do so. That also explained his crazy slip up in the bathroom. Zero cringed at the unknown and felt more like a monster. However, blaming Hirata would be futile and there was no need to reinforce her remmorse.

He pretended to be annoyed and scoffed, "Are you telling me that you do have a conscience?"

"I'm afraid I do have an annoyingly big one, hunter,"

"And my name is Zero," he gave her a small reassuring smile. Damn his empathetic heart.

She broke into a weak grin. "Zero..." she raised her hand to trace his cheekbones. He shuddered at her touch, warm and welcoming. "How I envy your soul, so strong yet so lost. She gave you to me for a reason, our mad, mad Shizuka.."

He took her hands into his, it felt strange but warm, searching her eyes for any hint of deception.

"As lost souls tend to cluster together, hence you and I, Zero, shall have to learn to forgive and learn to walk down this bloodied road for eternity..." she spoke to him carefully, studying his reaction.

"Together ...? God, you're fucking too sappy for my taste..." he raised his eyebrows. He was not ready to trust her but he will play along and crack the mystery. When the time comes, he would kill her.

"We're home, Zero." She was right, in a weird twisted way, he was home.

He shook his head in defeat. It was merely temporary, this _assignment_. It won't be long till they will part ways. However, the thought of being _home_ had appeased his emptiness.

"Should I call you _mother_ or _oka-sama_?" he deadpanned.

For the first time, he saw her real smile.

0000000000

Zero flung the heavy oak doors open and marched into his classroom. Ignoring the questioning and frightened stares from his all too human classmates, he threw his books onto the table and settled grumpily on his chair. His absence had naturally spiked their curiosity, those nosy kids. He glared at the other teens in the room, sending them scattering to their respective seats. Moments later, the Kaito walked in and class commenced without a hitch.

It was about 9:30 when he was summoned to the principal's office and he found himself walking compliantly alongside Kaito in the hall. The school was eerily quiet in the winter chill. Finally, Kaito sighed, "What's up with you, Zero? You're suddenly called by Yagari and you haven't even uttered a single curse word. Cat got you tongue?"

Zero snorted and quickened his pace. The other hunter kept up. "You look strange. Something's wrong,"

"Nothing's wrong. Shut up,"

Without warning, Kaito caught his arm and slammed him roughly against the wall. Zero reacted by pulling out his knife which was strapped onto his left forearm and pressed it against Kaito's jugular. The sharp blade nicked the skin and blood swelled on the surface, the coppery smell pricked his nostrils.

The older hunter narrowed his eyes into slits."Tch ... A knife? Where's your gun?" He knew Zero well enough and the younger hunter would never part with the Bloody Rose under normal circumstances.

Zero could not withdraw the knife without injuring Kaito and the crazy redhead was pressing him firmly against the metal. "Let go of me you buffoon before I accidentally cut your airway wide open,"

Then Kaito used his free hand to frisk the other hunter for the Bloody Rose. Zero hissed defiantly as he tried to figure out a way to throw Kaito off without causing injury. "Hey, hey.. Easy dude, don't get all horny on me," The gun was not on him.

"Not before I get my answers smart mouth," Kaito growled and pressed his neck firmer against the blade challengingly. "Where's your gun?" Blood trickled down to his collar.

"Are you crazy? Get off me!" Zero roared. Recollection of the events whick took place earlier that morning flooded into his mind.

"_Kazuki, I'm off to school!" he hollered, slipping on the shiny pair of shoes she stubbornly wanted him to wear instead of his old leather boots. There was some rustling of fabrics and a pair of feet treading on the thick carpet from the direction of his room."Don't bother to get up. I'm running late!" _

_However, his words were futile as Kazuki emerged with the Bloody Rose dangling from her right hand. He could smell her flesh burning against the metal. The smoky burn smelled rancid, like somebody threw in a rotting carcass in a barbeque pit. Zero lunged at her and snatched the gun away,_

"_It's unwise to venture out without a weapon," she said slowly, holding up her palm to look at the raw burns. It was not healing, if she was feeling any pain, she was not showing any signs of it. Instead, she turned her gaze to him._

_He glared at her in disbelief, "What the hell did you think you're doing touching a hunter weapon like that?" He pushed by her to store the gun back into his bedside drawer and head back out to the front door, not bothering to take off his shoes._

"_You're not taking it with you?" she asked _

"_No, and don't touch it," he warned. He turned the doorknob, ready to step outside when she held him back by his left shoulder._

"_Why?"_

_He turned slowly to face her, "I... I don't know, it burns," He showed her his right hand, the skin was imprinted with angry red lacerations. He had used that hand to snatch away the gun from her earlier. _

_Kazuki's eyes darkened, "I'll keep it safe," she said. _

Even to the not so acute sense, Kaito knew the smell of his blood filled the halls. The ex-human's lack of reaction to it puzzled him. _Shouldn't the vampire boy's eyes glow red right then?_ No reaction.

Seconds later, Kaito backed off and wiped off his own blood with the back of his hand. Zero swiftly tucked the knife back in. "Crazy son of a bitch, what the hell did you do that for?"

"You've changed Zero," Kaito stepped closer and grabbed the front of his shirt. Zero could feel Kaito's angry breath on his face "Because, the Zero I _know_ would rather have his balls cut off than not carrying the damn gun on his person,"

Zero growled angrily and shoved him away. Instead of stumbling backwards, the move sent the redhead flying crashing into the opposite wall and buckling down onto the floor.

Zero rushed forward and checked for injuries. "Damn, I'm sorry Kaito. I didn't mean to. God.." he helped Kaito to his feet.

"Nice one Zero," he grunted painfully.

Kaito swatted Zero's hand away, "Shut up and get me to the infirmary. I need ice for this," he placed a hand behind his head and winced. _Great, I earned myself a headache._

"This is not my fault. Go fix yourself and I'll go to Yagari. I'm late,"

"Oh no, you don't get to run away this time kid. You knifed me and pummelled me into a wall. Want me to tell on that? Get me there because Yagari can get pissed later," smirked the redhead and Zero rolled his eyes. "Some brute force you got there, either you give me answers or I'll pummel them out of you,"

"Tch, screw you ..." he had forgotten how gifted Kaito was at manipulation and blackmail. Maybe he could turn on some tricks on him.

The infirmary was vacant when they got there. Zero rummaged for and ice-pack while Kaito shrugged out of his coat and tie. Then the redhead continued to unbutton his blood-stained shirt. Zero handed him the ice-pack as Kaito peeled off the garment and flung it at Zero's face.

"What the hell?" Zero pried the shirt away and studied at the bloodied collar. Kaito pressed the ice-pack to the back of his head and plopped haughtily onto a bed.

"Zero ..."

"Huh?"

"Why aren't your eyes reddening?" Kaito's voice was neutral but Zero paled. Right, blood plus Zero always equals an aggravating bloodlust and currently the equation was scrunched. The redhead knew about his involuntary reaction towards the slightest hint of blood and there he was, holding the bloodied shirt without showing anything. Kaito's blood scent earlier did not trigger either and he picked on that. Damn, Kaito. Zero had six lettered explanations for that all right, K-a-z-u-k-i. Her blood had changed him, making him more into a vampire but that does not give him the license to rat on her. He threw the shirt onto the floor and turned towards the door.

"I took some new pills,"

"Oh sure you did. Whatever pills those were made you pull that knife stunt too?"

"That was stupid and you know it,"

"Tch, I knew setting you up with that bitch is a big mistake. She's as dangerous as a pit-viper. Who would have thought Yagari backed Cross on this?"

"She nothing I can't handle,"

"Really ...? What's her to you?"

"Nobody,"

"Yeah right," Kaito scoffed. "You've changed Zero. You have your blood craze in control and your strength multiplied."

Zero stared blankly at Kaito, determined not to give anything else away.

"I'm not blind Zero, Hirata's a god damned great hot looking broad, vampire or not,"

"What are you getting at?"

"Maybe I'm thinking your vampire nature gave into temptation and decided to savour the delectable morsel that you got shacked together with. Is that a possibility? It would explain your _enhanced and improved_ self very much,"

"Shut up Kaito!" Zero snapped at the half-naked hunter.

"I bet she's a great fuck too,"

"I said shut up!"

"Come on Zero, your attraction to vampires are undeniable. Kuran Yuuki is one sweet little tempest isn't she? How far did you go with her? In the other hand, Kuran Kaname sure liked to tuck you away in dark little corners. You think nobody notices those heated gazes he fixed on you? What is he, a secret lover...? Hirata Kazuki sure did not hide her _fondness_ of her new hunter boy toy. You are a whore, Zero. A filthy vampire scum of a whore,"

The air in the room compressed as Zero abruptly disappeared from Kaito's sight. The next thing he knew, Zero was pinning him down on the bed, his bare back hitting the cotton sheets cold as winter. Kaito raised his arms to push Zero off but they were caught and roughly pinned at the sides of his head. The bed shifted as Zero straddled his hips, a sinister smile spreading across the usually blank visage.

"Zero!"

"I have to give it to you Kaito, judging from that shitload, you're pretty much obsessed with me," he said in an amused tone. Kaito glared at the ex-human, daring him to go on. Zero chuckled wryly, "What I do with those bloodsuckers is my business although; I do not feel flattered that you paid that much attention to watch my ass,"

"I'm just worried about you Zero,"

"Right.. Let's see about that," Zero released Kaito's hands and experimentally brushed his fingers sensually against the taut muscles of Kaito's arms and shoulders and tangled them in the red locks. The bold move caused Kaito's breath hitch and his eyes widened. Zero purred mockingly as he lowered his lips inches away from Kaito's, fisting the red locks hair roughly tilting his chin up. "Just as I thought, you like this don't you? Yet you call me whore. Should I add you to my '_Delusional-bastards-who-claimed-ownership-on-me'_ list? "

"Fuck you Zero," he hissed as his face turned into a visible shade of red.

A devilish grin grew on Zero's face. "Would you like to?" he leered as he locked his violet eyes with the other hunter's own set. "I'll share something with you my dear comrade. He slid his palm and traced the high cheekbones. Kaito flushed deeper as those nimble fingers continued to his lips. Zero smirked, his voice deliberately low as he continued, "I am tired of people telling me things I should and should not do, sick of those damned vampires parading me like I'm their lap dog and you can be assured that I am positively sick of orders and obligations that you damned pack of shit-headed hunters stick up my ass."

"Those orders are for the sake of the greater good," Kaito rasped as the long cool fingers move down to his neck and rested on both of his shoulders, the shifting weight caused him to be pinned firmer on the mattress. His words seemed to anger Zero because the ex-human curled his lips back and revealed a set of dangerous looking fangs. The amethyst irises seemed to swallow up the darker pupils.

"Are they? You sure...? Then tell me what in the fucking hell is good about pairing me with an over-sexed insane vampire bitch in the first place? Learn my vampire side? Then why are you lecturing me about changes Kaito? All of you wanted me to grow, so maybe I did just that. What I do with her is my own business moron. Why don't you quit beating me around and tell Cross to pull me out of it for a change," he spat in suppressed fury.

"Fine, how about Kuran?"

"What about him?"

"What is he to you?"

"One of the purebloods that I'll kill," his voice held chillingly dark undertone.

"Tch.. you still hold to that?"

"Of course,"

"By seducing him?"

"You wish? You know I'm damn straight," Zero barked furiously.

Kaito sneered. "Straight? Even arrows could bend. Vampires are sensuous creatures you fool and in case you forgot, you are one of them. Just look at you, do you even realize that you're sexually harassing me? The old you wouldn't even have dreamed to jump on a guy. Whipping out your cursed gun to make a point is normal not wantonly teasing people. You're disturbingly alien to me,"

Zero cocked his head to one side, Kaito's words do make sense and he can't explain his impulsive behaviour, "Keep talking granny, I want to hear you out,"

"The pureblood-vampire noble-hunter love triangle makes a great story Zero. Tongues are wagging. You've gone in too far by the way I see it; acting and talking strange. Think about it. You are a hunter and as soon the line between your mission and your life blurs nobody could save your ass anymore,"

"So this is what it's all about, eh? You're telling me that I'm incompetent enough to secure my objectives..." Zero replied as he straightened himself up and stood solemnly by the bed.

Kaito sat up and ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "I'm telling you to be careful,"

"And I'm telling you to leave me alone. I don't report to you and be assured that I'll definitely not abide your concerns. And don't even breathe a word about the Bloody Rose ever again,"

"Or what?"

"Or I'll tell Yagari of our little romp in this sick ward and that I've fucking fell in love with you. Maybe he'll disown both of us for turning gay without blinking an eye. Oh, wait he does have only one eye thanks to me,"

"Bite me,"

"Don't tempt me," he leered and exited the room.

00000000

Zero had expected Yagari to tell him off for being tardily late but instead he found himself in the company of Kuran Kaname as he stepped into the dark and slightly dusty office. The pureblood was leafing through a thick folder while facing out towards the window as if he needed the sunlight to illuminate the pages. Wisps of dark brown hair fell over his scowling face. Maybe the contents did not please him and furthermore, he did not appear to notice Zero's arrival. So the hunter took the liberty to step a bit closer to the pureblood.

Zero stayed in the shadows observing the deep creases in Kaname's navy blue coat; most probably the older vampire has not rested. However, if the pureblood was tired, he did not show it. As he crossed his arms, he realised how amusing it was to spy on the most powerful and revered vampire prince unnoticed. Either Kuran Kaname was too engrossed reading or Kaito was right, he had grown stronger. Feeling that he needed to test the waters, he suppressed his presence even more and willed himself to move as swiftly as he could to sit on the window ledge.

It worked because Kaname's eyes grew wide and he ungracefully dropped the folder to the floor. Zero smirked and fished the leather bound object up and skimmed the pages as if he had done nothing wrong. He scanned the contents rapidly and he did not like what he read. No wonder Kaname found it worthy enough to crinkle his pretty forehead.

"I would prefer you to ask civilly if you wanted to read it so much," he said sarcastically.

Zero ignored the remark and continued to read the pages. Maybe he read it too rapidly because the he heard the pureblood huff in amusement. He raised his head and glanced challengingly at Kaname who had also settled down beside him on the ledge like they were the best of friends. He purposely ignored the brooding vampire and continued to read.

The documents had dictated the Hunter Association' terms regarding the reestablishment of the Night Class in the academy. It was pretty much the same as before except for the association's decision to enrol a select group of hunters as a part of the Day Class to _establish balance_.

"I would very much like to hear your opinion about it," said the pureblood. Zero raised his head again and looked at Kaname disbelievingly.

"It wouldn't matter," he dismissed haughtily.

"It would to me," Kaname replied convincingly. Zero closed the folder and turned slightly to face the vampire prince.

"Why?" he asked almost childishly, distrusting.

"Because Kiriyu, you're the hunter's future leader. It is common sense that you and I should start exercise discussing our opinions as a prelude to our diplomatic arrangements,"

Zero studied the solemn face and sighed dejectedly, "I can assure you that I will never live up to that day Kuran. There will never be that future," he was positive Kaname understood his words because the reddish brown eyes faltered momentarily. "Maybe you should stop using our races as screens and be honest for a change and maybe then I'll answer your questions earnestly," he uttered and handed the folder back to Kaname.

The vampire prince smiled softly, "Perhaps I will, but I would still want to have your professional say on this matter,"

_Professional ...? _He scoffed. He had enough of that particular word and he immediately thought of Hirata Kazuki. Nevertheless, the smile was enchanting to behold, curse the Gods for making him so beautiful. As tempted as he was to capture those enticing lips, Zero kept his face sombre.

"It's a double edged sword to have hunters here. You could hope they will learn to tolerate your race better or it would take a turn for the worst. The vampires will undoubtedly abide your commands but the hunter would be wild cards. It would be either a phenomenal success or catalytic ruin."

"I have to agree with you,"

"Oh? So, you've acknowledged that I have a brain?"

"This is not the time for sarcasm Kiriyu. I value your opinion,"

"Sure you do. I may try to get along with you nowadays Kuran but believe me the hunters will guard the day students like sheepdogs against a pack of wolves,"

"At least you won't be alone in your prefect duties,"

"Wasn't I ordered to transfer into the Night Class?"

"Yes, and Yuuki will be double teaming with you as prefects to keep the fellow night class pupils in line,"

Zero stared at Kaname in pure disbelief. "Are you in your right mind, Kuran? Here I am trying to be civil with you thinking that maybe you have miraculously changed and the next minute you're back to your old manipulative self. Seriously, I object because I certainly don't have a death wish. Your society will skin me alive for defiling their princess by my mere presence,"

"It's a shame you've turned cowardly Kiriyu because I had high expectations of you. I trust you to the extent that if I have to relinquish Yuuki to someone else, it would have to be you."

The silver haired hunter tilted his head up and closed his eyes in frustration. "Tch ...! I would pray for that to happen. It had been over a year and you still hadn't done anything to chain her permanently to you. Quit being her enabler, don't lie to me that you knew nothing of her dilemma? Can you promise we wouldn't do anything to hurt her? Not to betray her? Have you no compassion Kuran? Pairing her up with me would only torture her since she's meant to be with you, not me. Not ever. Do you want to tear her apart?"

Kaname smiled when Zero used '_we'_ for them but he chose to be oblivious and said, "_We_ could always work things out, Kiriiyu. Let her decide what she wants for herself and if she wanted to have the both of us, why not?"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you Kuran. Are you insane?"

"Only if you want me to be or if it would make Yuuki's day," he grinned. Zero rolled his eyes. "Considering your reluctance to have Yuuki back in your life, perhaps you're weighing your circumstances with Hirata Kazuki?"

Zero felt his blood leave his brain. "I can't talk about her,"

"Personally, I can't tolerate her existence around you. She's too hazy for my liking. Appearing in the likes of a fiery saucy vampire but I can assure you Kiriiyu, there's more to her underneath that entire facade. Be warned and ready,"

"Stop wasting your energy worrying about a Level-D hunter, your highness. She's my assignment," Zero replied icily.

Kaname hoped he was hallucinating, Zero was ordering him to back off from Hirata Kazuki. Was that possessiveness he was hearing in the hunter's tone? He studied Zero's facial expression; there was something he had missed. He decided to let things go and change the topic, "Will you be attending Yuuki's dinner party tonight?"

"What?"

"Have you not received her invitation?"

_Oh, shit! The card! _The silver haired hunter mentally slapped himself for not recognizing Yuuki's handwriting on the envelope. He had not read it due to his _predicament_ the previous evening, he had forgotten about the card altogether. There is no way in hell he was going to drag his hide to the Kuran's place. Zero was about to give the pureblood a nasty refusal when his phone buzzed, Kazuki's number was displayed on the screen. He was positive the pureblood saw it because the normally solemn face had a look of displeasure written all over it. Zero stood up and walked away to the other corner of the room.

Kaname trained his gaze on the retreating hunter. "What is it?" hissed the hunter in irritation.

Kaname smiled inwardly; at least Zero was not happy with her calling. Curious, Kaname could not help to eavesdrop, bless his amazing hearing.

The voice at the end of the line was neutral, _"Kuran Yuuki called, we're invited over for a dinner party,"_

"I know Kazuki, she sent a card. We're not going. I'll tell Kuran _myself_," the silver haired hunter punctuated through gritted teeth, shooting him a venomous glare in the process.

"_You're with him aren't you?"_ Her voice dripped with mischief and Zero barked a furious 'yes' into the mouthpiece.

Kaname could not help but give the hunter a sly crooked grin. _That was cute._

"_Well too late because I'm heading over to the mansion right now to help Yuuki-sama with the preparations,"_

"What? Are you out of your mind? You can't just walk right into her like that. You don't even know her," Zero hissed angrily.

"_I am trying to help your sister, Zero. What can possibly go wrong? Make sure you get home and change into the clothes I picked out, or I'll kill you,"_

"She's not my _sister_ anymore and you can't decide things for me! I'm not going,"

"_Quit being a baby, Zero and do as I say,"_ she laughed teasingly.

"Ugh.. you're impossible! How the fuck shall I get there? Fly?"

"_Kuran-sama's with you aren't he? You could ask him for a ride or you could always take the bike,"_

"He's not exactly my _friend _to be giving me rides, crazy woman. You're suggesting of letting _him_ into your friggin _lair_, Hirata Kazuki?"

"_Have you got something to hide, Zero?"_

"No!" Zero growled.

"_So do as I say before I personally ask Kuran-sama to tie you up and drag your butt over to dinner,"_

"You wouldn't dare..."

"_Try me,"_

"Kazuki, you knew perfectly well he could hear every word you say, don't you?" Zero said dejectedly, staring coldly at a smirking Kaname.

"_I always knew you're a remarkably bright little boy,"_ she giggled, before hanging up.

Zero stared at his phone blankly for a few seconds and pocketed it away; he turned to give Kaname one of his well practiced death glare, "Wipe that smirk off your face before I smack it out of you,"

"I'm starting to like her," he remarked sarcastically, "Though I detest you calling her by her first name so _affectionately_," he drawled watching Zero roll his eyes in abhorrence.

"How can you be so cool-headed about Hirata Kazuki getting near to Yuuki?"

"Yuuki have discussed about the possibilities, she wanted to get to know your newfound _interest_,"

"What happened to your preconceived prejudice about her? You said she was dangerous," _you have no idea what she really is Kuran._ Thought Zero, he could not help but worry for Yuuki. Kazuki was in fact, very unpredictable.

"They are still very much intact. If she threatens Yuuki in any ways, she would have to face Aidou, Seiren and the whole staff. Besides, Yuuki can protect herself with Artemis. Surely that would be enough to take down _the _Hirata Kazuki,"

"What do you mean _the Hirata Kazuki_?" asked Zero as he fought to control his distress. Hirata's true identity must never be discovered, particularly by Kaname. He had devoured Shizuka, a pureblood to enhance his powers and Zero had a hunch Hirata would probably share the same fate. Zero would not give a damn if the bitch dies but the idea of the arrogant pureblood prince growing stronger by that manner repulsed him.

"Well, add that on to your assignment,"

They heard footsteps approaching the room; silently Kaname took a seat in one of the chairs, setting the blue folder on the small table nearby while Zero remained in his corner waiting for the door to open. Touga Yagari entered the room followed by Takamiya Kaito. The elder hunter grunted in displeasure upon setting his eye on Kaname, Kaito moved silently towards Zero to stand by him.

"Chairman Yagari," greeted Kaname politely as he rose to his feet and nodded gracoiusly. Yagari just nodded back hastily, making his way to his desk. He motioned Zero and Kaito to approach and take their seats to which both of the hunters complied without question.

"Let's keep this short shall we?" he said rather impatiently. "So Kuran, have you come to terms with the hunter's conditions?"

"It is fairly justified; however I would have to take this development to the new Senate," the dark haired vampire held Yagari's firm gaze.

"We had the impression your words are mandatory in your world,"

"They are, nevertheless the Senate would be the obvious entity to legalize this arrangement. I did not wish to be a ruling monarch. Above and beyond, I believe the hunters had formed your own court of elders,"

Kaname switched his gaze to lock eyes with a scowling Zero, "Regarding our previous arrangements, I believe Kiriyu Zero's transfer to the Night Class is still valid too," Zero stiffened but his face remained unchanged.

"Of course, in fact, another young hunter will be transferring together with my disciple,"

"Master, that would be a disaster," protested Zero while Kaito nodded in agreement.

"I have to advise you to rethink of that arrangement, Chairman. A hunter would never fit in the Night Class," Kaname was astounded but he maintained his composure.

"I am well aware of the controversy regarding this matter but you have to remember, there are other vampire hunters besides Kiriiyu Zero in the Association," Yagari eyed the three other males in the room. Zero was stunned beyond words while Kaito appeared to be irritated, but Kaname was unreadable as always. "The vampire hunter will be arriving the day after tomorrow to acclimatise to the academy before the larger group enrols."

"This Sunday?" choked Kaito.

"So he could get started immediately on Monday with the Day Class," replied Yagari.

"A vampire could not live amongst the pupils, Chairman," protested Kaname as he accepted a brown manila folder labelled "Takano K." from Yagari.

"He's vampire hunter, Kaname-san. Plus, he is slightly different than Zero so at least we wouldn't have to worry about him chewing on the pupil's necks," said Yagari, gesturing at a visibly irritated Zero.

"A vampire is still a vampire," groused Kaito under his breath, knowing only Kaname and Zero will catch the words. However, the two did not show any reaction.

"Now Takamiya and Kiriyu would escort your to inspect the new Moon Dorms,"

"I have classes to attend, master. Kaito alone should be fine," protested Zero.

Yagari sighed at his stubborn pupil, "Those classes bore you, so make yourself useful as a prefect and lead Kuran and your teacher to the buildings. Or would you rather sleep in the classroom instead and get detention?" chided the elder hunter.

"Tch, whatever ...!" he spat and stormed out of the door. The redheaded hunter gestured Kaname to follow suit.

Zero stormed furiously through the school building without looking back. Luckily the hallways were empty or else he would have sent innocent student fleeing out of his way. He did not like the way the day was going to unfold, he certainly did not like playing tour guide to a certain supercilious pureblood vampire and he definitely was not looking a bit forward to having the vampire prince following him back home. Although the fact he was curious about the new vampire hunter, the notion of having to handle another vampire, hunter or not simultaneously with Kazuki overwhelmed him. He fisted his hair in exasperation, letting out a tired sigh.

"Takano Keiji, age 18, background information, classified. I could not see the point of giving me an envelope with practically nothing in it," drawled Kaname.

Zero spun around only to come face to face with Kaname whose face showed pure irritation. Kaito was nowhere in sight. "Where's Kaito?"

Kaname smirked while pushing the heavy main door with his right hand, "I had proved my hypothesis of being able to _suggest_ a hunter to attend to other pressing matters besides escorting a measly vampire around is true,"

"My, my, why am I not surprised? After all, manipulation is your forte," he remarked sarcastically, watching Kaname study a photograph of the vampire hunter. The pureblood's expression turned grim and he slipped the photograph back into the envelope. Zero raised a quizzical eyebrow but Kaname ignored it.

"The tour could wait. As for today, you're skipping school. Get your things and get to the mansion" said Kaname as he turned to walk towards the direction of the Day Class.

Zero stared at Kaname as he had gone crazy, "What the hell, Kuran? Who are you to order me around? Fuck off!" Zero grabbed the door handles, swung it open and stormed out into the winter cold, leaving the pureblood vampire. He ignored the prickling icy wind blowing against his face, cursing the slippery icy walkway to burn in hell's fire as he marched furiously towards the Moon Dorms. Furious, he did not bother to control the speed of his strides, let the humans freak out all they want. He could practically _feel_ Kaname pursuing after him.

Suddenly, a heavy mass barraged into him, sending him flying onto the icy grounds, landing flat on his back. Blinded by the hard impact, he cursed and automatically reached for his dagger strapped onto his forearm. His instinct told him to sink the blade for the kill but he held it back, knowing it was Kaname. The damned pureblood was quick to straddle him, the usually calm fathomless brown eyes glowed red with wrath.

The brown haired vampire had a dark, sinister aura swirling around him, "You, Kiriyu Zero, have explanations to do. Have you any idea what have you gotten yourself into?"

"Get off me, you motherfucking blood sucker!" he growled back, baring his fangs at the pureblood. Kaname whacked him hard across the face, drawing blood and twisted Zero's head to the direction of the academy. There was a visible trail of melted ice and steam billowing in the cold. Dark patches were scorched on the ground. Those were his footprints. _What the hell? _Immediately, Kazuki's concern about having unpredictable outcomes from digesting her blood rang in his head. The _potentials_, she had called them. _How many of them exactly had she leeched on?_ he wondered.

Dazed, he let the pureblood smack the dagger out of his hand and yanked him up by his collars. Zero spat on the older vampire's face, "Let go!"

Another jarring blow landed on his left cheek, sending him staggering a few steps back. Kaname's eyes widened and he wiped Zero's bloodied spittle from his face. "You drank her blood, I can smell it in you ...!" his eyes burned as he stared at the silver-haired boy, observing the shattered cheekbone mend. He had hit Zero hard enough to literally snap the hunter's head from his spine but apparently Zero had been left only with a fading bruise on his cheek.

"Smell it all you want, Kuran. It's not going to change a _thing_," said Zero bitterly as he stood up straight, cracking his neck in a silent rage. "How does it feel to have _your_ _dog_ running off to another?" he spat more blood onto the white snow at his feet, eyes slowly igniting red. He could feel a force bubbling and accumulating within his core. "Shall we test the fucking _powers_ I've ingested?" he leered; his voice had a menacing undertone in it. "You could always kill me afterwards," Zero made sure Kaname caught the sight of his lengthening fangs.

Kaname pulled his guard up as he could sense the dark force coiling around Zero, melting the icy grounds. Zero disturbed him, he was dangerous. Collecting his own ability, he readied himself. "Not on the academy grounds," he warned. "Not after I've worked so hard to nurture the peace we have now," he added calmly, letting his own anger dissipate.

"Chickening out are you? Using the academy grounds shit. Aren't all vampires thirsty for bloodshed?" taunted Zero as he collected his own frazzled nerves, keeping the boiling force in under restraints. Cross Academy was sacred grounds, Kaname was right but it does not mean he has to show it.

"In that sense, perhaps you are more of a vampire than I am," replied Kaname, his words caught Zero off-guard as Kaname slammed him back onto the wet snow. Zero burst into a volley of curses as Kaname moved to straddle him again, pinning his arms to his sides. The struggle went on for a few seconds until Zero stopped moving and closed his eyes defeated, limbs limp, feeling Kaname's crushing weight on his abdomen. However Kaname kept his hold, "You've changed, Zero."

The silver-haired vampire hunter sighed, "Don't call my name, it's fucking creepy." He still had his eyes closed, just because the snow stung his surprisingly sensitive eyes and the stark white plains of ice blinded him, thanks to the big concussion Kaname had successfully delivered. Moreover, he did not want Kaname to see the swirl of emotions he was experiencing. He felt weak and vulnerable against his newfound abilities, his unwanted attachment to Kazuki, and primarily his shocking longing for Kaname's touch. The latter scared him the most, he would not have Kaname see through him. It was a weakness and the pureblood would definitely use it to his fullest advantage.

There was no answer from the pureblood, only his weight shifting as he leaned forward to kiss the edge of Zero's right eye. Immediately, the amethyst eyes snapped opened, confusion shrouded the normally fiery orbs. Kaname could not help but smile softly at the shocked vampire hunter, "I could be just Kaname too."

"Right, you're scaring the shit out of me. Get your royal ass off me or I ... mmmff ...!" Kaname's hot mouth covered his before he could finish his sentence. Zero froze; his brain unable to process his current predicament, the pureblood was kissing him almost brutally. The firm silky lips pressed, kneaded, bruising, and challenging him to respond. Zero knew he would lose if he gives in, so he steeled himself to stay still and glared defiantly at the older vampire.

Kaname chuckled at Zero's resistance and pushed further as he nipped Zero's lower lip and sucked sensuously, releasing Zero's arms to bury his fingers in the silver locks possessively. He broke the kiss to gaze heatedly at Zero, "You're mine, Zero."

Something sparked inside Zero, he growled, fisted Kaname's chocolate-brown locks in equal roughness to pull him down, to plunder the sweet mouth with fervour. He shuddered as he heard Kaname moaned into the contact, deepening it tasting everything the pureblood has to offer. The long elegant fingers left his locks to trail downwards to his neck, the cool touch almost electric, sending pleasurable jolts down his spine. Zero lost his mind.

Zero's back arched, throwing his back to expose the smooth expanse of his neck to Kaname. He wanted more, to beg for Kaname to sink his fangs into him, yet it was so wrong. He could not stifle his groan when Kaname laved his neck like a hungry cat, the pureblood hummed in appreciation. Warm breath caressed his chilled skin as Kaname trailed hot kissed at the base of his throat, he could feel the sharp points of the deadly fangs. Without warning, he pushed Kaname off him.

The pureblood prince stared at him questioningly, panting slightly. "Not here," he growled, collecting himself up, watching the bewildered Kaname sitting up in the cold powdery ground. He turned his back to the pureblood, "Are you coming or do you want to roll in the snow all day?"

It did not take long for them to reach the warm interior of the apartment. Punching the security code, locking them from the outside world, Zero turned to face the brown haired vampire standing in the shadowy hallway, beckoned him to get inside. Both of them were soaked, smelling like snow which had saturated in their garments, slightly matted by sweat as they had utilised their unearthly speed to make to apartment 606, without even alerting the doorman.

Kaname stepped into the modern decorated space, admiring the large glass window overlooking the cold, snowy cityscape. "Nice place," he commented while observing the silver haired vampire hunter shrug off his dark uniform jacket off and dropped it down to the floor. He was standing by the window with his back facing to him, the lithe silhouette blended harmoniously with the enchantingly melancholic, cold winter backdrop. It fitted him perfectly from his pale, light exotic colourings to his beautifully cold, stoically strong but abrasive personality; and he had always been his and only his to claim, to possess and to keep. The thought of Hirata Kazuki's blood coursing in those veins angered him, there was also Yuuki, Ichiru and to his disappointment, Aidou. He would stake his claim and erase the others.

Kaname studied the young vampire hunter. The perfectly broad muscled shoulders tensed under the white cotton shirt before the teen turned to face him. Zero said nothing and they stood there for a few seconds, taking in what they are about to start. He can't deny his attraction to the ex-human anymore. The moment he saw the magnificent amethyst eyes train on him like a predator, his brains ceased to think logically and let his instincts took over.

It must have been instinct too that made Zero walk up closer to him and stopped when they are close enough to feel their breaths intermingling as they soaked themselves in each other's presence. They were about the same height with him being the slightly taller one. He swallowed hard the moment Zero turned his face up, giving him the clear view of the magnificent purplish orbs morph in sync with their tumultuous emotions. He could tell that the silver haired creature was equally confused with their mutual magnetism. They were supposed to be sworn enemies, regarding each other in undiluted hate but the strong urge to possess were bypassing their logics.

The full lips parted ever so slightly, raising his right hands slowly and pressed the tips of his callused fingers against his sternum causing his heart almost burst out. The other free hand had found its way to his neck, brushing the hot quivering skin and travelled up to trace his bottom lip. The tenderness in those ministrations was undoing him. He searched Zero's eyes only to find them mirroring his own lust. Yes, Kiriyu Zero wanted him and that made his blood hum in excitement.

"Hesitating ...?" he whispered his challenge and Zero took it as consent to start again.

"Shut up," he heard Zero murmured huskily into his ear right before the vampire hunter capture his face with both hands and meshed their lips together. The contact was hot, bruising and demanding; akin to his persona. Kaname kissed back, groaning in anticipation of the pleasure that will be his. He had dreamed for the moment to happen so he would give in to the thrill and let Zero take the lead.

Kaname defences crumbled as soon as Zero slipped his hands into his damp coat and pushed the garment off his shoulders but left them caught around the wrists. Now, the vampire hunter was busy marking his neck down to his collarbones with small stinging bites, not hard enough to break the skin but sufficient to make him burn and ache for more. Zero had left Kaname to get rid of the sodden garment and moved in to yank the silk tie off, and then rip the collars apart. The buttons clattered on to the floor and was quickly forgotten when Kaname felt an arm encircling his shoulders while a hand snaked in his hair to yank it unceremoniously to the side, and he moaned. His knees threatened to give out as Zero's hot merciless fangs punctured his throat.

* * *

**A/N** – How are you doing? Told you it was going to be loooooong. ^^ Read and review please.. I worked hard at this. Actually, Lily made sure I worked hard at this. Geeez Lily. I'm setting the rating to 'M' now. You'll get to learn about the "Black Iris' and the real Harita and get to see Ichiru again in Chapter 5. I'm slow at building up plots. Gomen... ;p

As for you, please make my day. Review.. review.. review! ^^ But do tell if you see any errors that need to be straightened out. I finished this in a hurry and now I fell numb. God, I'm tired.

To **Sonzai Taz** – How do you like Kazuki now? Yes, the jealous Kaname is always sexy. TQ!

To **firda** – Hey homegirl.. Tq for reviewing the other fic too. I appreciate your support.. Awak boleh komen dalam BM. Saya boleh faham lah.. Terima kasih!

To **Alyss** – I've updated...! Tell me what you think. Is Zero and Kaname still hot? They are so hard to write. o

To **ruyuhakyouka** – Yaoi will be in Chapter 5. Tsk, tsk, tsk... I'll remember your suggestions as I work on it... '0o0

To **lili974WOLF** - Merci beaucoup... Avez-vous apprécié la lecture de ce? Did I get that right? My French's pathetic... Thank you!

To **bloody_child** – I'm flattered. ^^ Thank you. I don't know about this chapter though... Let me know what you think..

To **bloodyLily** – Lily dear.. Don't do anything rash if you want to survive till 2014. Kekekeke ^^.. Thanks for pressing me to work on this one like a crazy person. And for making coffee. And with the proofreading. And for grinning like a fool while you read this over my shoulder. Is this even necessary? You'll get your yaoi soon enough.

To **AyanamiRei** – Thanks luv for liking her! Writing an OC is hard. Enjoy reading this one.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer :** I do not own Vampire Knight characters.

**Summary/AN :** Skip the first if you can't stomach boy x boy *ahem* _interactions. _And another thing... the tons of grammatical/sentencing wierdness minght make your eyes bleed. I'm a non-native speaker. ^3^ That comes from a habit called 'direct translation'. I struggle all the time.

**The Black Iris**

Chapter 5

A heavy weight on his chest made the simple task to breath laborious. Kaname had woken up on the carpeted floor, in a tangle of arms and limbs. A head of silvery locks was nested firmly on his right shoulder- the soft silky strands fanned on his chest; he had his body pinned down by his unmoving adversary. Wincing, Kaname squinted his eyes from the dimming evening light; the sun was setting. The room smelled of blood and sex.'_What have I done?' _he cringed.

After a while, Kaname felt Zero stir; those long eyelashes fluttered against his skin. Kaname closed his own eyes feigning sleep. Facing Zero was the last thing he wanted in that situation. Kaname recalled their frantic dance of dominance- tearing at each others' garments, ripping seams and grazing skin- eager to mix blood with their burning passion. There was no love in their coupling, only lust intertwined by their depthless hate for each other. He could still feel the indescribable rapture the moment he plunged mercilessly into the vampire hunter's core, enjoying the guttural cry of pleasure and lewd words spewing from those delicious lips as he plundered his silver-haired nemesis in his own quest for release.

Kaname face burned knowing he had enjoyed every single second when Zero sliced his skin with that damned dagger, a hunter weapon- which interfered with his natural pureblood vampire ability to heal. Kaname could still recall Zero's magnificent red tinted eyes boring into his, licking the spilt blood like a slinky feline, taking him slowly. All the while, Zero's feral gaze was locked intently onto him, watching him writhe and curse as the vampire hunter _returned the favour. _They had turned into each others' willing _bitches_. However, knowing Zero; their sinful transgression would likely to remain undisclosed, locked up and buried forever in their dark twisted hearts.

"I know you're awake," Kaname heard Zero's sleep-laced voice croak against his naked chest. Zero teased his skin with a sharp canine and consequently sinking it in slowly to suck the welling blood.

"Sadist," Kaname groaned.

Zero said nothing in return.

Disentangling his limbs, Zero traced the puckering slash marks criss-crossing Kaname's taut abdomen with his fingers; the wounds had not healed properly. Kaname felt Zero's satisfied chuckle rumbling against his heart.

Soon, the fingers were replaced by warm lips and tongue; making the skin tingle as Zero lapped the smooth expanse carefully. Kaname buried his hands in the silver hair trying to pry off the deliciously torturous ministrations made by the other vampire.

"Stay still," Kaname could literally hear the mirth in Zero's voice. His gut was telling him that Zero had more in store for him.

Kaname was right. Zero nicked his fingers with his fangs and smeared his blood on Kaname's sluggishly healing cuts. Kaname's breath hitched when he felt the electrifying sensation shooting through his being. Zero chuckled darkly and proceeded to focus his attention to the next wound. They were closing and it amused Zero- knowing the only way that he was able to do it was the fact he was so tainted by both Kaname's and Kazuki's pure blood. Punishing Kaname like that lifted off some of his self-hatred; he would hurt the arrogant bastard in all ways possible.

Meanwhile the pureblood vampire struggled to keep his excitement down. Knowing Zero would very much pick on it and will choose to exploit it creatively. He could never guess what the hunter would do, other than the fact Zero would enjoy every moment of his ungraceful undoing. He hated Zero's so called _ministrations_. Right? Wrong- Kaname nearly cried out in frustration when the vampire hunter stopped abruptly, sat up to scan the room, drawing a knee up and rested a hand lazily on it, raking his fingers through his messy hair. Kaname could not help but admire the cold eerie beauty of the boy; the long lean muscles rippled under that pale luminous skin.

"Time's up, we have to go or the girls will wring our necks for being tardy," said Zero as he rose to his feet, stretching like a great cat without even an ounce of modesty.

Sensing no movement from him, Zero turned his head and raised an irritated eyebrow, "Move, Kuran. Have you suddenly grown stupid?"

Anger flared in him. Kaname used his speed and and strength to lunge at Zero and threw him back to the floor.

Zero caught Kaname's neck in a vice grip upon impact and snarled, "Fuck, you're crazy!"

"Perhaps," Kaname hissed. "How could you be so casual about _this_?"

Hearing that, Zero tightened his hold on Kaname and squeezed the dark haired vampire's airways mercilessly. Zero's sharp nails had broken the skin, causing the pureblood to growl and pull Zero up by the shoulders until they were kneeling opposite of each other. Kaname smirked when he saw Zero flinch; his eyes narrowed to control his reaction to the pure blood which had been spilt anew.

"What about _this_? You had it your way and I had mine. Equal trade, what can be more to it?" said Zero.

"Is that what you call it, a _trade_?" Kaname scoffed in return.

"Tch... sure. Don't get other ideas, Kaname," Zero spat and rolled his eyes in disgust.

Kaname could not help but smirk at the glowering vampire hunter. '_He had just called me by my first name, interesting,' _Kaname was very pleased with the new _developement. _"You need me, Zero," Kaname stated what he wanted to believe.

"Tch... Only as much as _you_ need _me_," Zero sneered, releasing his neck and licked the tips of his bloodied fingers, teasing him. "Isn't it obvious I'm just using you for your blood?"

"You're a hopeless liar, _Zero_," Kaname smiled wickedly as soon as Zero's glorious amethyst eyes widened in denial. "And now... I shall collect the final end of the _trade._"

Kaname smiled again as he brought Zero's resisting right wrist to his lips. Zero tried to pull away but Kaname had used his ability to will the vampire hunter to comply. It does not matter that he cheated; Kaname wanted it so bad. '_Obey, hunter... I've waited for this far too long,' _he commanded.

Zero closed his eyes as Kaname's fangs pierced his skin to savour the crimson nectar. Reeling in euphoria, Kaname felt it- Zero's turmoil. It bubbled in his being like molten magma- muddled, clashing emotions thick and true. There was something alien in Zero's blood too. Something dark, soothing yet forbidding and there was only one explanation that Kaname could conjure- Hirata Kazuki. Kaname immediately licked the wound close and released Zero's hand.

However, there was nothing on Zero's face; the vampire hunter wore his blank uncaring expression like he had always do towards him. Zero was breaking free from his hold. Kaname hated Zero's _connection_ or whatever it was to the female vampire. It irked Kaname because Zero had lost his old unbridled control to lust over his pure blood. Zero had been _stabilized_ and Kaname had his suspicions about the elusive female noble vampire. Although deep down Kaname felt that he could not wait around any longer, he would let time unravel Hirata's secret. After all, Kuran Kaname was the ever patient one. So, for now he would savour the moment.

0000000000

The Kuran Mansion was as unwelcoming as he had always find it to be. Sure, he was there on several formal occasions, meetings, soirees and other vampire-hunter related business but none like an informal dinner-party or whatsoever. The outer wall was almost covered with thick ivy, windows dimly illuminated with candle light. Zero spotted Kazuki's SUV in the driveway so he parked the powerful bike beside it and signaled his pylon rider to get off.

Almost reluctantly, Kaname gave him a quick squeeze before releasing his waist and dismounted. Zero missed the comfortable warmth instantly. They had showered and cleaned the living room as much as they can before. Then Zero called the maid right before they left the building; he took the motorcycle because Kaname had conveniently ditched his chauffer at the academy; the pureblood vampire prince had followed him home on foot.

Zero recalled the time they assessed Kazuki's living room. The first thing that had cought his eyes were the numerous articles of clothing strewn all over the floor. There was nothing much left of their garments- they had been ripped, shredded into small unrecognizable pieces. Zero had thrown them into the crackling gas fuelled fireplace- Kazuki would have a ball taunting him with those in case she finds them. Zero had hastily slipped into the garments Kazuki had picked out for him. He rummaged the monstrous closet to look for something that will at least suit the pureblood. Kaname had the tendency to be a little bit on the conservative side so it took him a lot of effort to piece something together. He silently thanked the long dead Hirata Kaede for having a monstrous appetite for fine things- most of them still untouched. Ironically, Zero hated the idea of letting the pureblood _borrowing_ Kaede's garments, he would gladly lend his but it would never suit the impeccably dressed vampire prince. So he scrounged for a black silk button down shirt and navy blue slacks, almost identical to the ones he had efficiently torn off Kaname earlier.

Zero held his breath, silently admiring the way Kaname's hair moved as the said vampire shook them back into place after he trusted the shiny black helmet into his arms. Zero took his own off and mimicked Kaname's actions, running his fingers hastily combing back his slightly damp silver locks which in turn fell stubbornly back to their usual disarray. Zero desperately needed a trim because he looked more and more like Ichiru. '_All I need is to tie my hair back, stuff Kazuki in a Kimono and follow her around. We could pass as Shizuka and Ichiru,' _he was thinking about it when Zero caught Kaname openly staring at him, irritating him. "What?" he snapped.

The pureblood vampire stepped closer, "Try to act normal, as you know, you're a very bad liar."

"Tch.. I plan to leave all the talking to you," said Zero as he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Kaname's left ear in mock affection; he brushed the pad of his thumb along Kaname's high cheekbones. "Besides, Kazuki would figure things out the very moment she sees _us._"

"I don't care what Hirata Kazuki knows as long as she keeps them to herself," Kaname drawled.

"Well I can't guarantee that but maybe you could ask her to let you watch her kill me later. That should be fun," Zero leered at the pureblood vampire.

"You've grown a sense of humour, frightening."

"Well, at least half of it is true. Should we go meet the girls or shall we freeze to death out here?" Zero groused, ignored Kaname and stalked towards the main door.

Silently, Kaname followed suit. He studied the way Zero moved- his tall frame, the broad shoulders and the lush silvery head of hair never ceased to enchant him. The vampire hunter might not be the warmest or well-mannered character he knew, his defiance and unmasked impudence intrigued Kaname. Zero was outright rude, fearless and had no respect for him, Kuran Kaname- the royal almighty pureblooded vampire; Zero made him feel almost _normal_.

When they reached the door, Zero arched an eyebrow because Kaname looked puzzled. The greying butler was uncharacteristically late; the house appeared to be suspiciously still. Zero glanced impatiently at the dark-haired vampire, "Forgot your keys?"

Surprised, he watched Kaname's face hardened. He gave Zero a look that read '_something is wrong' _and immediately, the vampire hunter understood.

Kaname opened the door and stepped inside with Zero close behind him. The dim hallway lead to a grand foyer with high ceilings adorned with brightly lit chandeliers. There were no signs of life- no indications of Yuuki, Kazuki, Aidou nor the servants. They were nowhere in sight. Kaname gritted his teeth and motioned for Zero to stay close. He then noticed the glinting daggers- Zero was ready. They moved stealthily pass the grand ballroom, deeper into the house.

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream pierced the stillness. "The kitchen!" Kaname said urgently. The both of them sprinted towards the back of the mansion. Kaname almost had a heart attack when he heard another scream. Zero cursed and told Kaname to move faster. They had been expecting to encounter some sort of danger or chaos but instead, they found themselves staring at Yuuki and Kazuki giggling like silly schoolgirls draped in frilly pink aprons. The former's face was smeared with some white fluffy substance which suspiciously resembles whipped cream. Yuuki had a piping bag held clumsily with both hands as Kazuki guided, or at least tried to guide Yuuki to ice a cake.

"Kazuki, help! I'm going to ruin it..." wailed Yuuki.

The platinum-blond female was first to become aware of their arrival, straightening up and smiled politely at them. Then, Yuuki noticed Kazuki's movement and glanced towards the door. She beamed innocently. "Kaname, Zero, you're early," she chimed.

Zero was the first to move towards the girls. Holding Kazuki by the shoulders, he gave her a firm shake and asked impatiently, his temper obviously threatening to burst through the seams. "What the hell are you doing?"

Kaname felt a pang of jealousy when Kazuki popped a cream covered finger into the vampire hunter's mouth.

"My, my, Zero, have you forgotten your manners? At least greet your sister properly," she chided, low enough, only audible to Zero but Kaname heard ever word of it.

Kazuki's pretty eyes widened momentarily when she realized her mistake but they morphed back into calm when she stepped towards Kaname and bowed. "Kuran-sama," she greeted him.

Kaname nodded haughtily and eyed Yuuki, "The house is empty Yuuki. What are you doing in the kitchen with Hirata-san?

Yuuki, being Yuuki smiled good naturedly at him. "I dismissed them for the day Kaname, I wanted to have dinner with just the four of us," she explained.

"You can't cook Yuuki," remarked Zero dryly. He could never forget the _unique_ taste of her gastronomic experiments back in the days they used to live with Cross. Even Kaname had a few experiences and the pureblood prince shivered at the memory.

Hurt, Yuuki glared daggers at Zero and stuck out a tongue. "That's why I called Kazuki over," said Yuuki, latching herself onto Kazuki's arm. "She's just amazing, Kaname. I wish I'm half as good as her," she gushed, beaming at Kazuki.

"Yuuki, Hirata-san came here because she understands the risk you have brought upon yourself the minute you abused your _abilities_ imprudently and sent the whole staff away, leaving yourself here like a sitting duck," said Kaname. He should be upset with Yuuki impulsive behaviour but who could hold anger against Yuuki. She was just too innocent.

"No, I did not," pouted Yuuki. "Right, Kazuki?"she tugged Kazuki's arm. Kazuki smiled kindly at Yuuki in response while Zero nearly choked at the saccharine facade. Kazuki was everything but sweet.

"Aidou and Seiren would _never_ leave unless you did. You've abused your abilities, commanded them to leave and dragged Harita-san down with you," Kaname stated his displeasure at Yuuki.

"Fine, I'm caught then, but Kazuki, you should at least have told me the truth or I wouldn't have made you help out in the kitchen. I just wanted to get to know you," said Yuuki. She was still pouting.

"Oh, just torture her all you want Yuuki, she likes it," said Zero sarcastically.

There was the tiniest spark of anger flashing in Kazuki's eyes. Zero whoopped in silent satisfaction. However, he did notice the dark brooding gaze Kaname had fixed on him.

"I would like a word with you Hirata-san," said Kaname. Kazuki nodded and followed the pureblood prince out of the kitchen.

Yuuki sighed, looking over at Zero who had started to take off his black overcoat, followed by his finely tailored dark-grey jacket and draped them around the back of a chair. He undid his light blue shirt cuffs and rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. Zero had always been comfortable in the kitchen. He washed his hands and continued where Yuuki had left. She envied his deft hands as he carefully iced the cake.

"Well, that leaves just us Zero. Just like old times"

He didn't say anything back to her.

0000000000

Kazuki followed Kaname towards the dining hall, watching the pureblood remove his navy blue overcoat and hung it on a wooden peg on the wall. Then, she eyed his dark brown jacket in suspicion, it was slightly too snug for him. Then she caught a faint whiff of sandalwood lingering from the black shirt underneath as well as the navy blue dress pants he had on. She knew them immediately. 'Zero must have lent them to Kaname.

"So you noticed. He was right, you're sharp," said Kaname.

"I assume the _he_ you're referring to is Kiriyu Zero."

"None other. However, I wish to talk about Yuuki," replied Kaname as he took out plates and cutleries to set the table. He did not like menial tasks like these but with the maids's absence, he was left with no other choice but to make himself useful. "I have to thank you for coming to my sister's aide. She is very naive to place herself in this current... _situation,_" he began his small talk.

"It is my duty, Kuran-sama. You know what I am," she replied with a diplomatic smile carved on her lips. However, it never reached her eyes- they were cold, steely and mistrustful. Undoubtedly she had assumed that Kaname should know of her identity as a vampire mercenary- an assasin. Protecting the purebloods to death was one of their unspoken duties.

He handed the silverware to Kazuki. She in turn, placed them in practised precision. Kaname studied the female vampire carefully, her hair loose, wearing a high necked dark grey satin knee-length dress, the fabric flaring elegantly from her buckled waist. Her eyes were lined with kohl, emphasizing her light eyes. She was beautiful in a mysteriously ethereal way. The long sheer bell-sleeves were fashionably slashed up from her elbows up to her upper arms, revealing the luminously pale skin. No matter how beautiful she was, something akin to acid bubbled in him realising Kazuki had matched Zero's outfit to hers.

Kaname refused to let his jealousy show so he carefully took Kazuki's hand and led her to the direction of the grand piano. she was startled but she complied when Kaname gestured her to sit on the piano bench. Kaname propped himself against the keys, an uncharacteristic thing for him to do- tapping the ivory lightly while he searched her eyes, studying the glinting metal on the cuff of her left ear. She was visibly confused but she waited for him to make his move patiently.

"I was always curious of why you chose to serve as one of the mercenaries, Hirata-san. You had all the wealth to sustain you for centuries to come. Was it for power?" His question had caught her off guard. Kaname studied her darkening eyes; her light purplish eyes had a pinkish tinge in them.

"Yes, I crave for power. I devour my enemies as it was my right as a member of the guild. It was our form of payment," she admitted and waited for his reaction.

"Suppressing those immense amount of power should take a significant toll on you, am I right?"

"Yes, but we have ways to control them," she stated. Kaname studied her ear cuffs again. The long, thin chain interconneting between the three circular metal pierced into the cartilage glinted when she moved her head. They were no ordinary embellishment of beauty- there was some kind of muted vibe coming from the pieces of finely-crafted metal.

"Yes control. Yet, I could feel _it_ emanating from you. How can I be sure you're not here to harm Yuuki?"

She sighed, "The same way as I am sure you will never harm Zero," A mysterious smile ghosted her face.

_'She knew everything,' _Kaname was careful not to show his apprehension. "Don't be so sure about that, Hirata-san. He is an enemy," he reasoned.

"Even the deepest grudges can be bridged. Ironically we'll learn to love the things we hate most," Kazuki smiled innocently- she was mocking him.

"You're being too pragmatic over this. He's a vampire hunter. We are exactly the things he wanted to destroy. Why do you have such ideals about him? You, a mercenary should have a natural repulsion of the hunters," Kaname let his voice take on a steelier tone.

"My actions are best to be left unsaid, my lord. I am merely following my orders diligently and so does he," the female vampire knows how to weave around with words. "After all you know what I am- a servant to our kind. You my lord, as well as Yuuki-sama, shall be served even if it costs my life."

"How can I be assured of all that when I know precisely who you are- _the Black Iris_, the most ruthless assassin within the notoriously secretive guild of mercenaries?"

Kazuki smiled wistfully at him, not surprised that he knew about her, "Ah, indeed. However, the Black Iris is merely a name created to strike fear amongst the _naughty _vampires. The reputation was merely built on over-spun tales. I've been foolish to think that you will never figure out. All this time, I've only abided my orders. It was not my call to decide whom I may and may not _deal with._"

"You're not going to deny anything?"

"I am not entitled to lie to you, my lord. Save for I will do what's just or necessary to achieve my objectives."

"Does your decision to have Zero by your side a part of your current obligation? There is no need for you to come back to Japan, Hirata-san. Not after all that had happened in Shanghai."

"Forgive me but I have no authority to give that answer, Kaname-sama," she broke their eye-contact and glaced out of the window. Indirectly, she had confirmed his suspicions- that Zero was ordered to work with her. The fact made his heart sing.

"Hence your presence here tonight must be about the alleged objectives, Hirata-san?"

She remained silent and the gracious smile never left her lips. Kaname could sense Zero and Yuuki approaching but he decided to push the limits. "I admire your loyalty to our race but there is a nagging concern that loomed at the back of my mind."

Kazuki tilted her head to the right. "Does this concern perhaps involve Zero?"She had read him.

"Perhaps... I'm sure you have studied his past and knew of his unfortunate brush with his maker," he noticed the brief spike in her pulse before she collected her calm again.

"I did and I'm aware."

"Do you know of the events that had transpired between him and his mistress at Cross Academy?"

"Yes, Kaname-sama. I do."

Kaname sucked his breath in, reached for her right hand and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles, watching her eyes grew wide in alarm. He delivered the first blow. "Knowing that, can you stay true to your objectives when I know _precisely _who you really are?" Kaname held her in a steady gaze, studying her every move, listening to her quickening heartbeat and added the final blow. "Can you give me your word of honour, Hirata Kazuki? Or should I say, Princess Hiou?"

_Crash._

He turned only to see a wide-eyed Yuuki, she must have heard everything. Yuuki had dropped the porcelain dish she had in her hands, shattering them into thousand pieces. Zero was standing stock still beside her by the door.

Hirata Kazuki had not moved from her seat on the piano bench. He had expected her to lash out in one way or another but she remained still. Her smile faded completely- replaced by a blank, unreadable expression. She looked like a living stone statue with her hair framing her like a ghostly halo.

_'The sprite of Hiou Shizuka's past and present,' _Thought Kaname as he placed his right hand on top of her firmly clasped ones.

"Stay away from her, Kuran!" Zero had rushed towards them and smacked Kaname's hand away.

Zero had pulled Kazuki behind him, taking a defensive pose. Kaname's heart bled, numbing him upon realizing the possessiveness in Zero's protective stance.

* * *

**A/N**_**-**_ A rather short chapter this time. I wanted to edit more till the point of getting Hirata's real reaaaaal identity out but I've reached my limit. My head's killing me and I can't do much with my left hand temporarily rendered almost useless. Tsk, tsk, tsk.. I chewed on Imitrex and did my best so I hope you've enjoyed your read. You can nuke if you want. I don't mind flames. All types of feedbacks are welcomed. Like I've always said; please don't read and run.

Thank you to Sonzai Taz, AyanamiRei, Wintereve, mpiedz, bloodyLily, firda, bloody child, and Ichiruloves me your great reviews! And the well wishes. It was depressing to feel semi-crippled and numb-dumb. So it's very energizing to have feedbacks.. Whooooppeee.. However it was a bit embarrassing for me to get the undeserved attention. Lily shouldn't have told on it. I know she meant well and judging from the way she clucked all over the hospital floor like a mother hen, she was just worried. Thanks Lily. Thanks people. I felt a bit better. No, I'm better now. Kazuki is actually Shizuka's... dun, dun, dun... Too early to reveal it. Next chapter, I promise. Don't worry about Yuuki getting in the way too. There's a way. Please don't hate her so much. She's a great character to play around with.

.../


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer :** I do not own Vampire Knight.

**Summary/AN :** (12/12/2011) I have to remind you that this story is an AU, a sequel to "The Midori Incident" so if you don't get why on earth is Ichiru a Level-D in here..? What the heck is he doing with Aidou? Fu, fu, fu...You didn't read TMI, didn't you? Ah, and one more thing... This chapter is all about Ichiru. Kya~

**Beta : **Her Little Doll

**The Black Iris**

Chapter 6

Kiriyu Ichiru was bored- deathly bored. Well, technically the _dead _were never entitled to feel such thing as boredom but apparently, he was very much alive. Alive, constantly craving for blood and bored- not a very good combination for a prisoner of leisure kept away in a secret room which was cleverly concealed within a cluster of palatial mountaintop buildings. Ichiru had never thought that one day he would be living the way he was now. Well, he was thought to be dead.

Yet, it amused him- his current predicament. How was he a vampire? It was no mistake that he had been very much a human when he died, when he had made Zero drink him dry on that fateful night. His time has ended as soon as his last vision of Zero faded into abrupt nothingness. He had experienced death and death was nothing but an end. It was surprisingly peaceful, that nothingness. There were no grim-reapers, dead souls or Shizuka to tear him apart- Ichiru was disappointed. Death was nothing but a boring, endless void of darkness.

However that void was gradually eroded by slips of emotion, grief, remorse and strong sense of longing- Ichiru guessed that those might have come from his twin. Then he began to see visions, glimpse of the world, school life, the graveyard, bloodied bodies exploding into dust- Ichiru assumed that he had seen those from Zero's eyes. Not long after that, he began to feel an unquenchable thirst. His body ached for nothing other than Shizuka's alluringly powerful blood- Ichiru hypothesized that that thirst had also originated from his brother, a Level-D turned by Ichiru's beloved mistress. But he was wrong- the thirst was in fact, his own.

Ichiru had been sitting behind his modest desk, reading an ancient scroll about some war waged by the vampires a few thousand years ago. _'__Thousands? Tch..__'_he sneered inwardly, pinched the bridge of his nose and tossed the crumbling paper onto the red-tiled floor. He stifled a bored yawn. Ah, there was the boredom again.

How long had he been there? He was not sure anymore. He was not much of a scholar but he had been left idling with nothing to do in that airy room about eight to nine moons before. Yes, he had truly lost count of time because time had appeared to be frozen for him.

Not that he was complaining; his current 'living' quarters were quite decent compared to the dingy cell he had previously been held in. That was then. Now, he could spend hours staring out at a bamboo forest beyond the dark four-sloped, double-caved, glazed roofs. The long, sturdy plants swayed in the icy wind. They were his constant friends, whistling undecipherable whispers, breaking the silent emptiness of the Chinese-styled citadel.

Much to his amusement, Ichiru liked the luxurious tapestries hanging from the walls of his enclosure and he also secretly enjoyed uncovering and discovering stories, history and inevitably, information from the piles and piles of manuscripts stored on the old teak shelves by his small but cozy bed. Well, the papers were only rotting; somebody had to read them, right? Wrong; he was just bored with nothing else to do. There was the issue of being bored yet again.

The sound of wings flapping drew his eyes toward the window, a pair of collared doves perched on the sill. They seemed lively- those elegant, long tailed birds. Ichiru wondered how it would feel like to be able to soar in the skies, free to follow simplistic instincts. What if they were to be captured and placed in a gilded cage? Would they still coo in their loud monotone or would they be rendered mute, lifeless? Or would they be thankful to be sheltered, kept safe, forever spared from hunger, danger and cold? The outside world, the open space, despite its romantic illusion, was ruthlessly cruel with predators always on the lookout for a meal. It was necessary for prey to constantly avoid being preyed upon. But living in constant peril and danger could never be boring, right?

He let his eye linger on the brass knob of the heavy door; it was unlocked- it always was. He had never left, however. Where would he escape to if he fled captivity? What would be his motivation to fight for his freedom? He was beginning to understand why Shizuka had spent all those years as a willing prisoner. Why escape a prison when there is nothing to escape to, only to be hunted down like prey? The outside world, coloured by the intricate weave of humans, hunters and vampires, despite of its romantic illusion, was ruthlessly cruel with vampires acting like predators always on the lookout for a meal and hunters constantly herding the humans from being turned into meals. Yet Ichiru too was a vampire now- a Level-D, but a vampire nevertheless. Hunting for prey did not sound boring to him.

Ichiru scoffed to himself, suddenly thinking of something other than his world-weariness- where would he, an ex-human with hunter heritage, a traitor to both races fit into the big picture? Would he be one of the predators? Would he be forced to rejoin the ranks of the hunters? Or would be one of those beings preyed on by both vampires and hunters? He didn't have to think hard to find out- he would be killed before he could even reach out to Zero. Yes, he could always go to Zero. Ichiru could picture how elated Zero would be if he did but it hardly meant that he wanted to. He dismissed the thought immediately.

Once in a while, Ichiru could feel one or two vampires lingering outside his door- guards, perhaps. He had never encountered them face-to-face and he was in no way curious or lonely enough to make acquaintances. Dealing with two vampires at a time was troublesome enough. Unlike Zero, Ichiru held no particular grudge against the vampire race- that would be too cumbersome of a chore to keep up with. Presently, he could identify the vampire beyond the threshold. It was that silent vampire-girl, Kuran Kaname's servant-Seiren.

She was the one who had brought him to this place. Not this room but to a dark, dank underground cell somewhere in the eastern side of the buildings. He recalled the way that noble-class bloodsucker made him walk along the covered corridors, pass the delicate Chinese gardens, pass the tranquil lotus pond, her face stiff and unreadable while waiting for him to take in the scenery- as if he was never going to see it again.

After that, with that same emotionless face, she had motioned him to shackle himself in that putrid dungeon and left him without a word. No comments, degrading remarks or even a sneer regarding his demotion from a human with a hunter lineage to a common Level-D vampire- no, nothing. He would have felt better if she had at least glared at him but no-she had chosen to show absolutely no interest in him and that had smothered all his plans of escape.

Days later he had been graced by the presence of that arrogant killer, the pure blooded vampire, Kuran Kaname and a flustered Hanabusa Aidou. Sure, it was Kuran who had 'rescued' him from the clutches of Zero's malevolent ex-mentor, Tomohisa Atsushi but he did not anticipate Kuran to literally _order_ Aidou to do whatever it took to sustain him, Kiriyu Ichiru, a loyal follower of Hiou Shizuka- the very pureblood vampire that he had murdered.

Ichiru had expected Kuran to order Aidou to treat him like a lab rat, draw his blood, conduct some bizarre test and eventually kill him when they found some useful data. Instead, Aidou had been sustaining him with his own Level-B blood. Not much but coupled with the chalky blood-tablets, it was enough to keep him sane.

Slowly, Ichiru raked his forearm with a fingernail, marveling at the redness of his blood welling from the jagged cut. He could smell his own blood now, the metallic tang mixed with a distinct signature which he believed had been contributed by Aidou. In equal slowness, he could feel his eyes burn, the tattooed charm on the side of his neck pulsed, his fangs throbbing from the mere thought of blood- disgusting. He was a Level-D vampire no different than Zero. They were truly a _pair,_ finally. Not that he was too happy about their fate, if there was such thing as fate. How bittersweet- he let his lips curve into a sardonic smile.

"Kiriyu," somebody called him just before the brass doorknob turned.

The door swung open and there standing at the threshold of the room, was Aidou accompanied by an impassive Seiren. Ichiru cocked his head to one side and stared blankly at the nobles; it must be time for them to feed him, he assumed. Aidou's cheeks were slightly flushed- the blond always blushed before feeding him.

Seiren and Hanabusa Aidou- those were the only two living beings that Ichiru had contact with to that very day. Ichiru would catch glimpses of Seiren around the compound; it was made known to him that the citadel belonged to her family. Aidou, the chattier but irritating one would try to engage him in petty banter every time he came to 'visit'. The blonde's cold hatred towards him was as clear as light from day one.

It was Aidou's idea for Ichiru to sip his blood from a self-inflicted cut on his wrist during the 'feeding sessions'- Aidou made him sound like an annoying pet. When Ichiru had shown no reluctance in divulging in his noble-class blood, Aidou had ridiculed and immediately compared him to Zero. According to Aidou, Zero always hesitated even in dire situations while Ichiru was just another typical shameless, pride-less Level-D. Of course Ichiru was astonished that Aido knew about Zero's foolish pride-parade. Ichiru had been forced to literally blackmail Zero to get him to drink his blood the night he once _died_. However, the fact that Aidou had mentioned his twin ever so casually caught his interest and he was determined to find out more. How was Zero linked to Aidou and how did keeping him, Zero's presumably dead twin fit into the whole picture? What was Kuran planning?

Ichiru was positive that Zero does not know of his existence and was probably still mourning over his 'death'_. _Getting straight answers out of Aidou was impossible so he would need a solid plan to gain as much trust as he could from the annoying blond. He would gather as much information possible and later decide his course of action. Ichiru had nothing to lose and a _dead _person turned vampire had all the time he ever needed to waste.

"I was thinking about you," Ichiru made sure he made the sentence sound innocent but looking at Aidou's reaction, the widened eyes and the way he immediately held his breath, Ichiru smiled. Aidou flushed a shade redder.

However, Aidou recomposed himself as soon as Seiren disappeared behind him. Aidou held the door open and beckoned Ichiru to get up. "Let's walk outside," he said.

Ichiru assessed his garments and glanced outside the window, snow was falling he was only wearing a dark blue kimono tied loosely with a black sash. He let out a forlorn sigh, "Ah, so it is time to test how long will it take for a D to get a frostbite."

"Worry not; I'll keep you warm." There was a hint of playfulness in Aidou's voice but his face showed otherwise. He looked wary.

Without a word exchanged between them, Ichiru followed Aidou along one of the covered corridors which ran throughout the grounds. The corridor walls were intermittently punctured by small openings, like scenic windows to the garden beyond.

"Why are you still here, Kiriyu?" Aidou asked as they passed a window.

Ichiru did not answer, opting to stop in his tracks. Aidou too stopped but he did not turn to face him. Ichiru remembered his room, the unlocked door and Aidou's sudden decision to go out on a walk with him. Perhaps the Level-B had been providing him with opportunities to leave all along and he had not left. Perhaps the Level-B was tired of acting as a blood-mule to him, a burdensome ex-human as prisoner who he wanted to be rid of. The thought surprisingly made Ichiru's blood boil. He was too used to being unwanted- undesired by his parents, unneeded by his pure blooded mistress and resisted by his own double. Would Aidou have said the same if he was Zero?

"That is a very strange question," said Ichiru. "Would you like to hear an equally strange answer?"

"If you have one for me," said Aidou, slowly turning to face him.

Ichiru shrugged nonchalantly and admitted the plain truth, "I like it here."

Apparently, it took more than sincerity to convince a leech. Aidou scoffed the reply off and fixed his blue eyes on Ichiru. "How about your brother?" he asked a bit too bluntly, too suddenly, impatient- the question itself was awkward.

"What about_ Zero_?" Ichiru studied Aidou's body language as he deliberately emphasized Zero's name. The other vampire stiffened and immediately averted his eyes.

Ichiru had taken enough from Aidou to learn about the blood exchange which had transpired between the noble-class vampire and his twin brother. Not that Ichiru minded; he was able to keep sane because there were traces of Zero in Aidou. Zero had drunk his blood which contained traces of Shizuka. That calmed him also; obviously, it was Shizuka too who had turned him.

As for the question of _why, how and when _his pure blooded mistress had secretly turned him, Ichiru reserved those for the future. Being a Level-D had been no walk in the park; there wasn't a time that he didn't crave for blood. He would unravel the mysteries one step at a time or rather, by one vampire at a time.

Clearing his throat, Aidou spoke, "Zero was recently given an unconventional task, an assignment with a mission partner." Aidou did not look at Ichiru still. Instead, the blond gazed thoughtfully outside, as if he was admiring the snow.

Ichiru knew better; judging from the way Aidou was deliberately keeping his voice neutral, he was displaying concern and vulnerability- Aidou was trying his best to stay calm. Confiding in him, a person whom Aidou absolutely should not trust was a sign of desperation.

Ichiru smiled inwardly; if he could only push the right buttons.

"Work partner, you say? In the vampire hunters' world, work and secret are synonyms. The meaning also coincides with 'top-secret', 'red-tape' and 'classified'. Do you expect me to believe that you actually know the details of a hunter's mission?"

"What do you take me for? I have my sources," Aidou snapped and glared at Ichiru.

"Ara, I made you angry," Ichiru snickered. "Fine, let's say that the matter regarding my brother is true; what is so pressing about it that made you resort to telling me about it? What is so strange about him paired with another hunter?"

Aidou broke into a satisfied smirk. "What if I tell you that the partner is a Level-B?"

"Can't say that I am not curious." Ichiru stepped closer to Aidou, stood by his side and beckoned him to continue walking. "_The information might be useful after all_," he thought. Knowing Zero, the chances of the stubborn hunter cooperating with a vampire was actually zero, no puns intended.

"Does the _bloodsucker_ have a name?"

"Pfft...To you, the name is not important." Aidou pulled Ichiru back by his elbow. Then he reached into his pocket, handing a photograph to Ichiru. "They say pictures are worth a thousand words so how about a face?" Aidou tapped his finger on a specific female smiling adoringly at Zero.

There was nothing special about the image: the dark background and the colourfully attired people captured in stilled poses suggested that the picture had been taken in some sort of an entertainment outlet. However, the woman wrapped around Zero's arm was the spitting image of Ichiru's long dead pure-blooded mistress, Hiou Shizuka.

Shizuka had long ago perished so it could only be _that _creature he had met once. He thought that Shizuka had finished her off but it seemed he was wrong._"So you have made your move, Kazuki," _thought Ichiru.

Ichiru refused to let his unease get the better of him, grinned wickedly at Aidou and teased, "No wonder you're jealous; he chose a woman over you."

Ichiru wanted to taunt the vampire, embarrass him more but he couldn't take his eyes off the image of Shizuka's doppelganger clinging so closely to his twin. He was not sure if it was a good or a bad thing but he firmly stomped on his instincts to worry about Zero. Aidou was a good diversion so Ichiru swiftly reached for the vampire's unguarded right hand. He felt Aidou shudder upon contact.

"How dare you!" Aidou hissed fiercely.

It worked.

"My, my... I made you angry again," Ichiru grinned, determined to suppress flashes of a distant past which began to flood his memory. A moonless night, a secluded mansion at the foot of a densely forested mountain wrapped thick with the smell of blood; he was human then and he could smell it, the butchery. An image of a forlorn Shizuka and the sound of her delicate bell tinkling seemed real- how he missed her. Then, he remembered his current _problem- _Aidou.

"You can pretend that I'm _him_ while I'm at it. After all, he and I do look the same, deshou?" Ichiru's grin took on some wickedness whilst he brought Zero up again.

Aidou was taken aback. His eyes clearly reflected his disgust but he did not show any signs of denial. Ichiru took special care to make his smile cruel while raising Aidou's unresisting wrist to his lips.

That was the first time Aidou had let Ichiru use his fangs on him. As soon as the warm, red liquid hit his tongue, the silent corridor, the white snowy garden collapsed around them.

"We no longer have business here," Shizuka's voice resounded in the red haze.

Moments later, Ichiru could no longer see or feel Aidou. He was seeing _her, _his long gone pure blooded mistress in her kimono, her hair falling all about her like a silken veil. They were about to leave, idling on the edge of the woods overlooking a secluded mansion, their garments flapping wildly in the wind.

"Shizuka-sama?" Ichiru was careful not to let his surprise slip. It was unlike her to resign from her purpose but that night, with a haughty wave of her graceful hand, she did. She ignored him and began to stride away into the woods, her silver hair and light coloured kimono contrasting heavily against the blackness.

Ichiru hesitated but obeyed. However, her manner irked him. He was there to assist his mistress murder a fellow 'pedigree' for power. They were there to rob a pureblood of his life-force in preparation for her quest for revenge. She wanted to thwart Kuran Rido so she needed all the power she could get to emerge victorious. However, weeks of careful planning had apparently had gone to waste- somebody else was there before them.

The initial shouts of alarm by the vampire servants of that household were replaced by excruciating screams woven together with the all too familiar scent of carnage. Ichiru did not need to have a vampire's sensitivity of smell to tell; that was how intense the unforeseen attack was.

"We should utilize this diversion to get to our goal," he almost pleaded to her. "I will clear your way." As absurd as words sounds given his limitations as a human, he felt that there was still a great chance to get to the pureblood in the midst of that chaos.

"Sou ka..?" she breathed, sliding her fingers through her hair before she regarded him with her slightly narrowed, cherry-blossom eyes. It was a no.

It was unclear what happened soon afterwards. One moment he sensed movement on the forest floor and the next thing he knew, there was a thin blade of metal was pressed firmly against his jugular. The screams and shrieks of bloody murder had long died out from the direction of the mansion and he deduced the worst- the culprit caught up to them.

Before he could react, he heard Shizuka's voice. "Do not resist, Ichiru," she commanded.

Her unwavering gaze however was not fixed on Ichiru but to the person holding him from behind. Was she telling him to let the assailant slit his throat without throwing a fight? He gritted his teeth as the blade sliced a millimeter into his skin. Blood dripped down to his collar and he could feel the death grip of the fingers wrapped around his left arm.

"It is unlike you to divulge in scaring _little boys_," Shizuka smiled sardonically. "Then again, I've never understood you, ne?"

Little boys? The remark stung. Shizuka was indirectly belittling him, a measly human who had previously offered to be her instrument. How so very like her to point it out and punish him for his weakness in such a critical moment. No- the situation wasn't critical at all for her for she could afford to discard him whenever she felt like doing so. Shizuka was unperturbed, she had declared him worthless and worse, she evidently knew the assailant.

Almost instantly, the weapon was removed and he was flung aside. Ichiru braced himself for an impact but to his surprise, he was caught by another- an accomplice.

They were vampires, these two, for the feel of their grips were equally, unnaturally strong. He was a hunter yes, and had been born weak but Shizuka had lent him enough power by permitting him to the privilege of sipping her blood to regain his potential. Although, his senses were currently overwhelmed by Shizuka's presence, it was still enough for him to tell that the two were of lower class- nobles, most likely.

"It is also unlike you to divulge in _traveling_ with little boys," the half-masked assailant spoke, arrogantly, challengingly, the lower part of the face visible, lips mimicking Shizuka's smile, revealing sharp fangs. That one was a female and whoever she was, she had made a commendable job imitating Shizuka's voice right down to the tiniest inflections. Whoever she was, she had sealed her death; a pureblood, Shizuka in particular, did not tolerate impudence. Ichiru commended her nerves nonetheless.

The masked figure smirked at him; Ichiru glared back. She sighed before returning her attention to Shizuka. "Regardless, such understanding was never required from you, mistress."

"Mistress?" Ichiru repeated the word under his breath. So, Shizuka had vampires serving her other than him. As foolish as it was, he felt a pang of jealousy but all he got was a wry smile from Shizuka. She was not going to help him. Well, why should she? Ichiru tried to shake off the second vampire but the hold on him was unbreakable. He was forced to _play along_ after all.

"I was under the impression that you would never appear before me ever again." Shizuka's uncharacteristic statement caught Ichiru off guard.

"I sensed your gracious presence," the vampire gave an equally bewildering answer.

Sensed? The vile vampire had the nerves to say that she could actually _sense _Shizuka. Who exactly was she? She called Shizuka her mistress and yet dared to speak so casually to the pureblood. Furthermore, why did Shizuka permit such impudent behaviour being thrown in her face? That puzzled him. There was a missing link somewhere and he was determined to find out.

"Liar," Shizuka scoffed in response to the noble's claim.

"I apologize." Instantaneously, the vampire dropped to her knees, her head bowed. Much to Ichiru's silent alarm, Shizuka merely watched with disinterest etched on her beautiful face before letting out a dry chuckle.

It seems that his new captor was also surprised with the sudden turn of events because the grip on Ichiru loosened. Using that opportunity, coupled with his need to prove his worth, Ichiru successfully wrenched himself away from his new captor and unsheathed his katana, taking an offensive stance.

That was the moment Ichiru got a precise view of the kneeling vampire: a black-clad, hooded figure wearing a grotesque, intricately painted wooden mask. The fabric of the garment appeared to be wet, soaked with nothing other than blood. It was ugly; that mask, painted red and black like a demon warrior from a _kabuki _ensemble, augmenting the sinister feel coiling around her.

The other one was similarly attired but instead of a wooden mask, his uncovered face was shadowed by the night. That vampire did nothing in response. He stood still but Ichiru could feel his eyes on him. What could an ordinary human do? Such was contemptuous feel that gaze sent out, making Ichiru bristle. His instincts acknowledged the threat but since Shizuka stood her ground, he too would have to stay.

"That vile mask of yours never fails to sicken me, Black Iris," Shizuka breathed out the name like poison, her tone lifeless; knowing her, Ichiru knew she meant the words spoken.

"You must forgive me for neither the taste behind mask nor name was mine to begin with," was the answer, barely audible and stained with regret.

The masked female did not move when Shizuka took a few steps forward and stood before her kneeling figure. Neither did Ichiru move when Shizuka removed the mask and the hood, causing a mass of long silver hair to spill down, touching the earthen grounds.

Ichiru watched in shock as his beloved mistress lowered herself to kneel opposite the black-clad vampire, reaching out to touch a set of ornate, chained earrings that he had not noticed before. They looked like some sort of seal made of silver. Those types of seals were designed to suppress an undesired nature of the wearer; Ichiru had seen them in his father's books before. Shizuka was tracing her fingers across the thing. She obviously knew the other vampire but nevertheless, her actions baffled him. Was it even necessary?

There was something disconcerting about the two but it was not his place to question Shizuka. Ichiru glanced at the other vampire and found himself staring at a pair of piercing brown eyes. Much to his astonishment, apart from the vampire's colouring, the light brown eyes and the platinum blond hair - he might as well be staring at his mirror image. He was used to looking like Zero but another lookalike was just too much of a coincidence. He didn't have much time to come up with an absurd theory of a lost vampire brother so he scoffed the bloodsucker's hostile gaze off.

When Ichiru turned to look at Shizuka, he found her still kneeling opposite the unmoving, silver-haired vampire. Like his vampire lookalike, he decided it was best to remain an observer.

"You truly wish forgiveness?" Shizuka was saying, her voice remorseful as the other's had been. "You should know better. A pureblood's clemency can never be obtained without a toll." She slinked her finger through the vampire's hair; it was indeed of the same shade as her own. "Your interference tonight alone is beyond pardon." Her melancholy tone had taken on a hint of grimness.

"Your hands should not be soiled. I am your tool and I have absorbed nothing but the best for your benefit, Shizuka-sama. All that is needed is to sacrifice this vessel," she pleaded, offering her neck. That voice was also alarmingly similar to his mistress's; if Ichiru had closed his eyes, he would have had trouble telling which was really speaking.

"Vessel you say? Only you could find words that disgust me so much, Kazuki. Should you not be standing at my side?" Shizuka bared her fangs as she gripped the other's chin and wrenched the other's face to one side, her eyes stained red.

Ichiru finally saw the unresisting vampire's face; the Black Iris, or _Kazuki_ as Shizuka had last called her _was_ in fact, _another_ Shizuka. He was seeing two of his mistress; Ichiru inhaled a bit too sharply. They were similar but definitely not the same.

"I do not deserve to stand as your equal," said the double quietly, doing nothing to resist Shizuka's wrath. "You desire power- that was your purpose here. The potential of more than a dozen purebloods is surely more useful than one. I have worked for centuries anticipating this very moment."

"Is that so?" sighed Shizuka. In a flash, she grabbed Kazuki's chained ear ornament and wrenched them off, dropping the silver onto the red mottled ground. "Filthy, powerful, but vile... indeed you have become the perfect tool. You have stooped very low indeed," she said right after she licked her bloodstained fingers. She regarded Kazuki coldly for a moment, as if stoically searching for proof of her words and finding it. Abruptly, she slapped the Black Iris across the face; her strength sent the vampire flying, crashing awkwardly against a tree.

"Kazuki!" the brown-eyed vampire hissed under his breath; his panic was apparent but thus far he did not act. Ichiru watched the scene in confusion; he too felt like he should do something but without Shizuka's instruction, he could not. Besides, the one Shizuka called Kazuki was offering her life to his mistress- no harm there. He was cautious of the vampire-boy whose eyes were glowing red, enticed by the strong metallic scent coming from his crumpled companion. It was rare for a Level-B to react like that unless the blood spilled was from the purest of their damned race. _Was the seal supposed to suppress such a nature?_ Ichiru suspected the worst, gripping his sword tighter.

"You must be Kaede," Shizuka trained her eyes on Kazuki's escort. "Heh, you are less impressive than I might have thought." The noble-class vampire stiffened. Indifferently, she turned back to the Black Iris. "How do you find my Ichiru, Kazuki? He was a coincidental find; nevertheless, I am proposing a trade, if I may. No one would be able to tell if you would so kindly turn him." Bless her dark sense of humour. Ichiru was not amused.

"If you wish." Again, a quiet answer. Kazuki's wounds healed instantaneously as any vampire's would but her aura had changed- it amplified intensely and spiraled before she got it under control again. Kazuki stood up, twisting a dislocated shoulder back into place before she tossed her disheveled hair out of her smiling face- Shizuka's smiling face. "Nonetheless, I will find a traitorous, human hunter a waste of time. There are few more pure blooded specimens to savour, oh no- to collect for your _cause_."

Shizuka smiled eerily. "Hmm... finally, much better," she hummed appreciatively. "And…it is good to see you again, dear sister."

It was Ichiru's turn to drop to his knees in shock. Kaede had long retreated into the shadows.

Also smiling, Kazuki chuckled, "Ah, we scared the poor boy." Closing the distance between them, she bent over him and ran her gloved fingers along his jaw line. "Heh, you should know that you are not the only one who has a twin."

"Why, Kazuki, a secret should be kept secret. Now somebody has to die." Shizuka said that a bit too happily, giving Ichiru a headache.

Perhaps it was a really bad one because Ichiru's recollection of that incident came to an abrupt end at that point, like he had hit a dead end- literally. But an image of a morbidly silent and bloodstained Shizuka standing among splintered trees and scattered leaves, telling him to follow her into the depths of the forest lingered.

Ichiru gasped; he was no longer with Shizuka. The prickling, numbing cold indicated that he was back to the present. Aidou was there, his brows knitted, his eyes closed, and immediately, Ichiru released the noble. He must have taken too much because the blond had sagged down to the wooden floor, his complexion as pale as sheet. Making no attempt to help Aidou whatsoever, Ichiru honed his senses to search the winter garden beyond because at that moment, he sensed a presence of another vampire, watching him.

Immediately, he saw her- Kazuki, standing by the frozen pond, her elaborate earrings glinting in the moonlight, sealing her true nature. She was smiling mockingly at him. So she lived and without a doubt, she had Zero. Once more, Ichiru was not sure if it was a bad or a good thing; deliberately, he stopped himself from fearing for his twin.

* * *

Hee... Gomen, this took a while. Thanks to Doll, who always, always, always inspired me to dream- you guys got to read this. ^^ Doing a chapter preview would be nice because you guys might get an idea what to expect next(I only discuss plots with Doll all this while coz she's awesome) but... why don't you ask questions instead? That way, I could improvise a lot you know.

Thanks to all who reviewed up to the last chapter. I value your opinions. *sniff* Hope to hear from you again. As for the shy ones who always, forever had read and ran- say something this time okay? I always monitor the traffic stats and go.. "Oooh, somebody from Egypt? Saudi?" "A reader from Japan? Are you kidding me?" "Eh, Poland? I wanna go there one day" Yeah, I can't mention everybody's country but you get the picture, right? So come on, good or bad, write something for me. Or I will not write (again) for a very, very long time... Mwahahaha! I'm half-joking, which also means I'm half-serious. ;p


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